Toyota: The New Sequoia Is Now Being Made in Texas
Toyota has confirmed that it is now producing the new hybrid version of its Sequoia full-sized SUV in Texas. The Sequoia was all new for 2023 and is earning praise for its hybrid motor and its refinement. The new 2023 Sequoia and the related 2023 Tundra truck are Toyota’s largest vehicles, and Toyota needed a Texas-sized plant to build them.
The 2023 is the first new Sequoia since 2008
It’s hard to believe the Sequoia SUV stuck around basically unchanged for 14 years. The Sequoia is big, and in the previous version it had a thirsty V8, old tech, and a dated design. But, when Toyota launched the new Tundra truck for 2022, it gave the brand a chance to re-think the full-sized Sequoia, and update it. The Tundra, too, had not been redesigned for a long time and was starting to show its age.
Where is the new 2023 Toyota Sequoia made?
Toyota invested $391 million to update the San Antonio, Texas, plant. Overall, the plant has 3,800 employees and 5,200 on-site suppliers. The new vehicles have some of the largest sheets of metal the company has ever produced, and it needed special technology, including a new laser welding facility. Overall, Toyota says, it has invested $3.1 billion in the plant over the last 20 years.
What’s new in the 2023 Sequoia
Often when an automaker says a vehicle is new, they don’t necessarily mean ALL of it. But, the Sequoia was reimagined from top to bottom on the new Tundra platform. It barely feels like it should have the same name as the old Sequoia from the inside, and its design feels like a lot more than one generation newer.
The Sequoia is designed to ride like a big luxury SUV, but it keeps one key element that gives it truck-like ability: a solid, lockable, rear axle. That enables Toyota to add the impressive TRD PRO off-road package, and all of its assorted goodies like hill descent control, skid plates, FOX brand internal bypass shocks and more. The TRD Pro comes only as a seven-seater with captain’s chairs in the second row. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD PRO 4×4 version starts at $76,900
The new i-FORCE MAX engine is a hybrid V6
V8 engines are great for making big power. Because of how the pistons work, they can make more power than other types of engines. But they are big. They are heavy. And they are thirsty. In Toyota’s case, the 2022 Sequoia V8 made 381 horsepower and 401 lb.-ft of torque from 5.7 liters – but got an abysmal 13 mpg in the city.
Toyota’s new 2023 Toyota Sequoia will get a significant power boost from the i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain. The new V6 totally trumps the V8 with 437 horsepower and 583 lb.-ft of torque, that’s enough power that the new Sequoia can tow almost a ton more. The new 2024 Toyota Sequoia will tow up to 9,000 pounds. It gets 21 mpg in the city, and 24 on the highway.
How much should you pay for a 2023 Toyota Sequoia?
The three-row base 2023 Toyota Sequoia starts $58,300 for the SR5 4×2 package. The Limited starts at $64,700, Platinum at $70,900 and the Sequoia Capstone at $75,300. Four-wheel drive is a $3,000 option in each model, except for the TRD PRP 4×4, which only comes with four-wheel drive. Toyota quotes a $1,495 delivery fee. The Sequoia is built on the new Toyota Tundra chassis, which means that it’s assembled in San Antonio, Texas.
