2022 Toyota Tundra: Global Production Cut, but Not the New Tundra
While Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) gets ready for the 2022 Tundra to hit the streets, supply shortages continue to impact the industry. Since the Tundra has not received a full-redesign since 2007, this isn’t the time to slow down. Toyota will prioritize a North American production plant that will be responsible for the new 2022 Toyota Tundra.
The 2022 Toyota Tundra will go on as scheduled
Just last week, Toyota announced it would cut vehicle production by 40%. Since the Toyota truck has not received an update in more than 10 years, there is no wiggle room on production demand. According to Car and Driver, the automaker usually makes around 900,000 vehicles during September but will instead produce under 600,000 cars for the month. North American plants will make 140,000 to 170,000 fewer vehicles for August and September combined.
The production decrease will not impact the 2022 Toyota Tundra. The San Antonio plant will be full speed ahead on the 2022 Tundra to keep up with demand. If the company doesn’t focus extra supplies and energy on the new truck, it won’t meet certain sales milestones. Spokesperson Melissa Sparks said that was the reason for prioritizing chips on the San Antonio Tundra plant. While some other automakers are slowing down the production of new vehicles, Toyota seems to be taking advantage of that. Will a 2022 Tundra TRD Pro make the shortlist of trim levels? Let’s hope so.
The San Antonio plant will continue to build the 2022 Toyota Tundra
A press release by Toyota explains that as coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact life in Southeast Asia, shortages will impact global production. Some plants in Japan will see a complete cease in production for low-volume models in the entire month of September.
Semiconductor chips are not the only issue, Bob Carter, TMNA executive VP of sales, claims. A spokesperson for TMNA spoke to Car and Driver about the issue.
In North America, we are projecting a reduction of approximately 60,000 to 90,000 vehicles in August. As for September, we are projecting a reduction of 80,000 vehicles, but the situation remains very fluid. We do not anticipate any impact to employment at this time.”
Toyota Motor North America
The brand clarified that to keep with the 2022 Toyota Tundra, that facility would see fewer interruptions. “In order to meet our production timeline and schedule for the new Tundra, we have to finish up current model production by a certain timeline,” Sparks said. That means the Tundra will still be able to hit dealership lots on time.
A slight advantage over other automakers
The 2022 Toyota Tundra isn’t alone in the struggle. The Tesla Cybertruck was recently delayed to 2022 at the earliest. The Ford F-150 Lightning is scheduled to come out soon, but production is impacted for that truck too. Ford vehicles, in general, have been feeling the impact lately.
If Toyota plans to go full-speed ahead with the new Tundra, the company might be able to steal a ton of business from the competition. Toyota might be using the shortage to the brand’s advantage if that is the case. The Japanese automaker keeps extra supplies in surplus around the globe, allowing it to be slightly less impacted by the semiconductor chip drama. If that is the case, Toyota will retain a place ahead of Ford on the sales charts, and the new Toyota Tundra will help.
