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by: JasonLancaster
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On October 31st, 1957, Toyota Motor Sales was founded in the U.S. In the 50 years since, Toyota has grown from a small Japanese import auto manufacturer that no one took seriously to one of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. The history of Toyota is a story about success. Part of the story is the growth of Toyota trucks, and 50 years seems like a good time to review the history of Toyota trucks in the United States.

The first truck Toyota imported into the US was the 1963 Toyota LandCruiser truck. Because the Landcruiser truck was only available in small numbers for just four years (from 1963-67) today they are highly valued collector's items. In addition to being imported to the US, Toyota continued to produce the LandCruiser truck internationally for many years after 1967. Some can still be found outside the U.S.

Next, we have the Toyota Stout. Available in 1964, this was the obvious predecessor to 1969's Toyota HiLux. The Stout, like the HiLux, was available in only one configuration - a regular cab and a four cylinder engine. The Stout's last year was 1968, after which the Toyota Hilux Pickup truck was officially born.

The "HiLux" was the first Toyota truck to achieve notable sales and commercial success. The "HiLux" name, as hip as it is, was dropped from the Toyota Trucks nameplate in 1975. From that point forward, all small Toyota trucks were known as "Toyota Pickups". The HiLux/Toyota Pickup developed rather quickly. The SR5 package was first made available in 1975. In 1979, Toyota offered a four-wheel-drive option. In 1983, to great critical acclaim, Toyota offered the "Xtra Cab" Toyota Pickup. The popularity of Toyota's value and quality helped Toyota trucks come into their own in the 80's, even helping them reach top cultural status. After all, Who could forget the Toyota truck in the movie Back To The Future?

In 1993, Toyota introduced their first full-size truck, the T100. While many critics found the T100 supremely lacking in terms of power (a V8 engine was not available), there are a lot of loyal Toyota fans who will argue this was one of the best Toyota trucks ever built. The T100 was a commercial flop, selling in very small numbers.

In 1995, the "Toyota Pickup" finally got a name of its own, the Tacoma. Known as the "Taco" by off-road enthusiasts everywhere, the Tacoma is easily Toyota's largest commercial success in the US truck market. The Tacoma offered an excellent combination of performance, power, and off-road ability, while still being a very inexpensive vehicle in it's work truck configuration.

Toyota released their next attempt at a full-size truck, the 2000 Tundra, in 1999. This new full-size featured a powerful 4.7L V8, as well as a larger frame, interior, and greater hauling and towing capabilities than the T100. When the Tundra debuted, it was a hit. It was named Motor Trend's "Truck of The Year" in it's first year of production, and sales topped 126k units in 2004.

Toyota brought out a completely re-designed Tacoma in 2004. This new larger Tacoma managed to rival it's big-brother, the Tundra, in size and power. Despite this new Tacoma being the biggest and most expensive Taco yet, it still managed to honor Toyota's compact pickup roots in terms of value and off-road performance. The new Tacoma has been nothing short of a complete success, as it is currently the best-selling compact truck on the market.

In 2007 Toyota released a new, bigger and more powerful Tundra. This new 2nd generation Tundra overcame all the criticisms of the old Tundra, offering the most powerful engine in it's class, a large 5.7L V8, as well leading all other full-size trucks in towing capacity at 10,800lbs. This new Tundra has been extremely popular, setting full-size Toyota truck sales records in its first year of production. Clearly, the new Tundra's big V8, big size, and big towing capacity have lifted Toyota's credibility as a truck manufacturer.

What will Toyota come up with next? The future seems to hold both hybrid and diesel engine trucks, as well as the possibility of bringing back the concept of a small, simple, and inexpensive truck in the Scion line. Who knows all that could happen in 50 years...

About the Author

About the author: Jason Lancaster has been working in the auto business and with the Toyota Tundra for the better part of a decade. Find more Tundra Reviews at his website, www.tundraheadquarters.com.

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