Toyota Sets Aside $391 Million for Texas-made Pickups

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas is slated to receive a $391 million investment earmarked for streamlined pickup production. The manufacturer wants to merge the Tacoma and Tundra models onto a common platform, something we’ve mentioned in the past, and Toyota’s Tuesday announcement solidifies those rumors.

The new platform is meant to make hybridization easier and provide the basis for the entirety of the automaker’s global truck line — including SUVs like the Sequoia.

As part of Toyota’s civil commitment to San Antonio, the manufacturer also announced Alamo Promise will receive a $500,000 donation over a five-year period. Alamo Promise’s stated mission is to end poverty, improve economic and social mobility, and meet workforce demands throughout the city by paying for local residents to attend colleges and trade schools.

Including the most recent investment promise, Toyota Motor North America says it has spent over $3 billion on its San Antonio truck plant. The manufacturer believes the changes will help minimize complexity for trucks and make the facility more flexible, allowing it to adapt production to better suit consumer demand. Utilization of the new platform (internally dubbed F1) is anticipated to begin with the 2022 Toyota Tundra, starting in 2021. Tacoma is supposed to follow suit a year or so afterward.

It’s probably a wise move for the now-ancient Tundra but what it means for Toyota’s fleet as a whole is unclear. Presumably more hybridization, though that’s about the only thing we can count on with such limited details. Expect more info to trickle out over the next twelve months, with the Tundra gradually assuming its new shape for the 2022 model year.

[Image: Toyota]