Toyota has some of the best selling vehicles on the market today, especially when it comes to SUVs. However, its truck division has yet to see the same sales numbers, primarily its Tundra pickup. Tundra sales have been at the bottom of the chart, at least so far. With the truck’s new look, it looks like sales are reacting positively to the changes. So what’s new in the 2022 Toyota Tundra and how do the sales numbers for this model compare to previous versions?
What’s new for the 2022 Toyota Tundra?
Toyota finally dove in and redesigned the Tundra. For the exterior, you will see a huge grill with different designs depending on the finish you choose. The truck also comes with an inward-sloping tailgate that can be opened with a button-style control near the taillight.
To toughen up the exterior styling, Toyota added some black accents to the hood, pronounced wheel arches, high shoulder lines, and black trim that accentuates the truck’s wheel wells.
The brand didn’t skip the interior when it went through the redesign stage. The 2022 model now has a multimedia system that is five times faster than the one used in the previous Toyota Tundra model. You get a standard 8-inch touchscreen or the available 14-inch screen, which comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The most exciting news is the company’s new hybrid powertrain in the truck. The base model will have the twin-turbo V6 engine paired with an electric motor that will produce 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. The same twin-turbo V6 engine will be tuned for higher trims to make 437 hp and 538 lb-ft.
Is the redesign helping boost sales of the 2022 Toyota Tundra?
This year is not over yet and the truck has already surpassed the total sales figure of the previous model year. By 2021, the Tundra sold 81,959 units in 12 months, according to GoodCarBadCar.
So far in 2022, 84,454 units have been sold, which is about 2,500 more than the previous model for the entire year. The only thing missing are the December totals, which could be around 9,000 to 10,000 more if you look at the October and November sales numbers.
Toyota started the year with a relatively strong first quarter, with 22,643 sales. The next three months only had about 1,000 fewer purchases. In July and August, sales reached just over 20,000 units, with no data for September.
It’s safe to say that the Tundra is having a pretty good year. So the question now is how does 2022 compare to previous model sales?
Truck sales history.
The history of the Toyota Tundra began with the 2000 model year, but GoodCarBadCar begins showing sales data starting in 2005. That version generated a good chunk of sales because drivers wanted to experience what the new truck had to offer. In 2007, the pickup saw its best year ever, with almost 200,000 units sold. But, after that, sales started to drop a bit.
The 2009 model had a bad year compared to previous versions, with fewer than 80,000 purchases. Sales remained low, which likely has to do with the outdated models that Toyota continued to produce. With few changes made and nothing new to refresh people’s interest in the truck, sales hovered around the 100,000 mark.
It wasn’t until the 2022 Tundra that Toyota finally stepped up and removed the old styling, giving the truck a modern look. The brand also changed the powertrain, which many people thought would never happen.
Even reviewers felt the Tundra took the prize for making the most improvements to a model. Once this newly redesigned version hit the market, sales figures didn’t skyrocket, but they did start to rise.
The redesigned Tundra is a welcome change in the truck market, one that seems to go down well with many. The move seems to have paid off for the company because sales are starting to pick up. If all goes well, we could see the same great purchase numbers the truck had when it debuted.