Motor Authority - blog Category: Sequoia

Sales of Toyota’s heavy SUV and pickups have been on the decline in the U.S. for the past several months with rising fuel prices and growing environmental concerns shifting consumer demand towards smaller and more economical vehicles. The carmaker, which usually prides itself on productivity and efficiency, was forced to reduce output at a number of its U.S. factories because of oversupply issues, but demand from emerging markets has now enabled Toyota to establish an export program for its U.S.-built Sequoia and Tundra vehicles.

The first export markets will be Latin America and the Middle East, with shipments scheduled to start in... Sales of Toyota’s heavy SUV and pickups have been on the decline in the U.S. for the past several months with rising fuel prices and growing environmental concerns shifting consumer demand towards smaller and more economical vehicles. The carmaker, which usually prides itself on productivity and efficiency, was forced to reduce output at a number of its U.S. factories because of oversupply issues, but demand from emerging markets has now enabled Toyota to establish an export program for its U.S.-built Sequoia and Tundra vehicles. The first export markets will be Latin America and the Middle East, with shipments scheduled to start in December. Sequoia exports to the Middle East are forecasted at approximately 15,000 units annually, while Sequoia exports to Latin America are projected at approximately 150 units annually. Tundra exports to Latin America are forecasted at approximately 1,000 units annually. Fast-growing markets like the Middle-East, Russia and China, where fuel-hungry SUVs still sell in high numbers, could allow Toyota to ramp up production at one of its under-utilized U.S. factories. The Tundra is primarily built at the two-year-old San Antonio assembly plant while the Sequoia and a small number of Tundras are built in Princeton, Indiana. North American sales for the Tundra pickup are down around 15% for July compared to the same period last year, but the Sequoia SUV has gone the opposite way and increased its sales by almost 33% from the same period last year. The mixed result has had little effect on boosting Toyota’s profits, which has seen a 98.9% drop for its North American operations this year. The move to export vehicles from the U.S. is a relatively new one for Toyota, which usually imports cars and has done little in the way of exports from its North American operations. However, the falling value of the dollar and dwindling sales means this Toyota may have little choice in the near future. Read More

Not widely recognized as a performance parts leader, but rapidly becoming one, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has revealed a supercharger system for its Tundra and Sequoia pickup and SUV. Featuring the same basic Eaton four-lobe system found in the Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR-1, the new supercharger boosts the company's 5.7L V8 to 504hp (376kW) and 550lb-ft of torque (742Nm) maximum output.

The supercharger, which Toyota calls the TRD 5.7L 3UR Supercharger System, is a Roots-type unit that can deliver up to 8.5psi while remaining legal for the street and any state's emissions tests. Toyota also offers a warranty on the system if its... Not widely recognized as a performance parts leader, but rapidly becoming one, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has revealed a supercharger system for its Tundra and Sequoia pickup and SUV. Featuring the same basic Eaton four-lobe system found in the Cadillac CTS-V and Corvette ZR-1, the new supercharger boosts the company's 5.7L V8 to 504hp (376kW) and 550lb-ft of torque (742Nm) maximum output. The supercharger, which Toyota calls the TRD 5.7L 3UR Supercharger System, is a Roots-type unit that can deliver up to 8.5psi while remaining legal for the street and any state's emissions tests. Toyota also offers a warranty on the system if its installed by a Toyota dealer, either adding a full year of unlimited-mileage coverage for the unit or including it in the remainder of any existing new-car warranty, whichever is longer. TRD already makes a wide range of superchargers for its other cars and trucks, including the Tacoma and FJ Cruiser, which share a 4.0L V6 engine, and the Scion tC and xB, which share a 2.4L four-cylinder, reports InsideLine. Output for the V6 is increased to 304hp (226kW) while the four-banger is boosted to 200hp (149kW). GM Performance Parts, Ford Racing and Mopar still sit in front of TRD in the U.S. based on sales volume of performance parts. However, the company has only really been pushing its offerings for a little more than three years now, since TRD came under control of the company's U.S. operations. Read More