Toyota Vies for One of Detroit’s Last Strongholds

The new Tundra, not available until next year, has some interesting features. Imagine, listening to your customers.

With this truck, Toyota has attempted to do its homework. Beginning in 2002, Toyota began interviewing every type of truck owner, from ranchers in Montana to construction crews in Atlanta and business owners in Houston, to be sure it understood their needs.

One basic: performance. While some people buy pickups as car substitutes, the most serious customers use them for work. So the Tundra is capable of towing more than 10,000 pounds, and will come equipped with a new 5.7-liter V-8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

To its surprise, Toyota engineers learned that they do not just use their pickups to lug things around: they are the equivalent of mobile offices.

So this Tundra is compatible with Bluetooth technology, a feature found on its Lexus models, and has multiple connection ports for laptops, cellphones and other devices.

The New York Times