On October 31st 2007, Toyota Motor Sales celebrated exactly 50 years in the U.S. Since 1957, Toyota has grown from a small importer of economy vehicles to what will most likely become the largest auto manufacturer in the world. In short, Toyota is a success story. Being that Toyota trucks are so popular, I thought it might be a good time to briefly review the history of Toyota trucks in the U.S.



The first Toyota truck brought to the US was the 1963 Toyota LandCruiser truck. Available in small numbers for only four years in the U.S. market (1963-67), these are highly sought-after collector's items. In addition to being imported to the US, these vehicles were produced by Toyota internationally for many years after 1967 and can be found overseas.

Next, we have the Toyota Stout. Available in 1964, this was the obvious predecessor to 1969's Toyota HiLux. The Stout, like the HiLux, was available in only one configuration - a regular cab and a four cylinder engine. The Stout's last year was 1968, after which the Toyota Hilux Pickup truck was officially born.

The HiLux was the first Toyota truck to reach measurable sales and commercial success. The "HiLux" name, as groovy as it is, was dropped from Toyota trucks in 1975. From that point forward, the small Toyota truck was simply known as the "Toyota Pickup". The HiLux/Toyota Pickup developed rather quickly. In 1975, the SR5 package was first made available. In 1979, Toyota first began offering a four-wheel-drive model. In 1983, Toyota offered an "Xtra Cab" Toyota Pickup that was extremely popular. Toyota trucks began to come in their own in the 80's, reaching top cultural status as evidenced by their various pop-culture references (who could forget the Toyota truck from Back To The Future?).

In 1993, Toyota introduced their first full-size truck, the T100. While many critics found the T100 supremely lacking in terms of power (a V8 engine was not available), there are a lot of loyal Toyota fans who will argue this was one of the best Toyota trucks ever built. The T100 was a commercial flop, selling in very small numbers.

The generically named "Toyota Pickup" got a real name in 1995, officially labeled the Tacoma. Abbreviated as the "Taco" by some, it is revered by off-road enthusiasts everywhere as an excellent combination of performance, power, and reliability. Not surprisingly, the Tacoma is easily Toyota's biggest sales success in the U.S. truck market. Toyota's Tacoma was also an excellent value in the work-truck configuration, being one of the most inexpensive trucks on the market.

Toyota made another attempt at a making a full-size truck in 1999, releasing the new 2000 Tundra a year early. The new full-size Tundra featured a reasonably powerful 4.7L V8, a larger frame, bigger interior, and greater hauling and towing capabilities than the truck it replaced (the T100). When the Tundra debuted it was a decent seller and a critical hit. The new Tundra was named Motor Trend's "Truck of The Year" in 1999, and sales topped 126k units in 2004.

Toyota released a completely re-designed Tacoma in 2004. This new, larger, "Taco" rivaled the 2004 full-size Tundra in terms of size and power, yet still honored Toyota's compact pickup roots in terms of economy and off-road performance. The new Tacoma, while nearly as expensive as many competitor's full-size trucks, has been nothing short of a complete success. The Tacoma is currently the best-selling compact truck on the market.

In 2007 Toyota released a new, bigger and more powerful Tundra. This new 2nd generation Tundra overcame all the criticisms of the old Tundra, offering the most powerful engine in it's class, a large 5.7L V8, as well leading all other full-size trucks in towing capacity at 10,800lbs. This new Tundra has been extremely popular, setting full-size Toyota truck sales records in its first year of production. Clearly, the new Tundra's big V8, big size, and big towing capacity have lifted Toyota's credibility as a truck manufacturer.

What will Toyota come up with next? The future seems to hold both hybrid and diesel engine trucks, as well as the possibility of bringing back the concept of a small, simple, and inexpensive truck in the Scion line. Who knows all that could happen in 50 years...