Toyota finally updated the Tundra full-size pickup with an all-new model for 2022. It’s excellent, and feels like a bonafide competitor for the segment’s heavy-hitters like the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500. But if you’re all-in on buying Toyota’s new big truck, you may need to wait for a bit.
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CarsDirect spoke with a Southern California Toyota dealer who estimated that the wait could be as long as a year and a half for certain Tundra trims — and said that may end up meaning many buyers get 2023 model year vehicles. That sounds ominous. Suffice it to say, it’s unlikely a Tundra will show up in your driveway with a big red bow on Christmas morning.
But things may not get Ford Bronco bad. Tundra models with the base twin-turbo V6 engine start arriving in December. And the chip shortage may limit initial dealer allotments; the Toyota dealer noted to CarsDirect that Toyota allotted just 61 Tundras to Los Angeles area dealers for the first three months. And getting on a dealer waitlist is the only way to get one, as Toyota does not take factory orders.
High-performance hybrid Tundras will also take longer. Tundras with those engines — perhaps including a new super-lux Capstone trim — aren’t entering production until Spring. One model that will be hybrid-only is the top-of-the-line TRD Pro model. And the waitlist may have a disproportionate number of TRD Pro buyers — people who can afford to wait for their fully-loaded off-roader.
The production situation at every automaker is fluid right now. Forecasts about the chip shortage don’t look great. And Toyota has been cutting back on planned production, though the 15% production scale back in November 2021 still meant they were building more vehicles than November 2020. Besides, getting profitable Tundras out the factory door should be one of Toyota’s main priorities with whatever resources are available in 2022.