4 days Ago By Josh Nevett
You can expect to see plenty more pickups on Australian roads in 2025, with right-hand drive conversions to ramp up ahead of the first full year of sales. or signup to continue reading Left-hand drive versions of the Tundra are shipped to Australia from the US and converted by Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Melbourne, a first for Toyota. More than 600 examples of the American pickup have been converted since volume production kicked off in October last year, in the lead-up to today's commencement of public sales.
. Over that time 300 Tundras have been subjected to the Tundra Insider Program, a "real-world evaluation and validation program" that saw prospective buyers lease vehicles and provide feedback to Toyota Australia. Anticipating increasing demand post-launch, Walkinshaw has upped its production capacity to prepare for a raft of new Tundra orders.
"Formal start of production for us was the end of last year, in October, and we've just surpassed 600 units for the first year. Most of those vehicles have gone into the customer program," said Chris Smith, general manager of Walkinshaw Automotive Group. "We've just recently increased the capacity of the production line to meet demand for the second year, so we're currently at five vehicles per day which is about 100-110 vehicles per month.
" Based on the production estimates provided by Walkinshaw, a total of between 1200 and 1320 Tundras will be converted to right-hand drive next year, all other things being equal. That represents a deficit when compared to other conversions in the full-sized pickup segment. Ram Trucks Australia sold 5922 examples of the in 2023, while Chevrolet recorded 2260 deliveries of the .
Both aforementioned models are also converted by Walkinshaw, as well as the more heavy-duty , , and . The only full-sized American pickup Walkinshaw doesn't convert locally is the . While Toyota and Walkinshaw may be taking a 'wait and see' approach when it comes to Tundra supply, the manufacturer remains confident that it will sell strongly in Australia.
"For the market, demand is very healthy," said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations. "Whether that's sustainable, we'll have to see whether that market segment can keep growing..
. but I think Tundra will hold its own." The 2025 Toyota Tundra went on sale today as a single-variant model.
Australian market Tundras use Toyota's powertrain, called i-Force Max, with of power and of torque. Power can be sent to all four wheels via a dual-range transfer case, and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Toyota claims a braked towing capacity of 4500kg for the Tundra – 1000kg more than the top-rated HiLux.
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