With the overall redesign of Tundra pickups, Toyota has both challenges and opportunities to increase truck sales in the face of fierce competition from domestic brands.

Toyota Tundra has been redesigned for the first time since 2007. This truck has been greatly improved, with upgrades in fuel economy, safety, comfort, handling and off-road capabilities. Toyota has proven that it can compete with companies such as Ford and Chevrolet in the truck market through its Tacoma mid-size pickup truck, which leads the market segment.

Adding Tundra to the game is the job of Lisa Matrazzo, vice president of the Toyota Division Marketing Group of Toyota Motor North America. Matrazzo recently sat down with Trucks.com to discuss the automaker's truck strategy. This is an edited version of the conversation.

What is your overall strategy for Tundra and Toyota pickup trucks in 2022? 

Our goal is to take advantage of the tradition of body frame vehicles. I mean, we have always been an important player in Tacoma in the mid-size truck market. We dominate there with an incredible market share. Based on this, the new generation Tundra enters the core of the half-ton full-size pickup truck market. We now have two very capable trucks.

The new Tundra does not have a V8 option or a normal cab. How much full-size truck market does the new Tundra cover? 

The remaining half-ton market has a considerable part. Think about the changes in the half-ton truck market over the years and the dynamics of buyers. They are different types of truck buyers. Granted now, there is a work-use application, and the truck must be capable. People are pulling, they are pulling. They expect this, and we have covered it. This is almost your entrance fee. But beyond that, we see buyers want to do more with their trucks. There is an important introduction from various SUV categories. It is led by a mid-size SUV. As a result, more than 60,000 vehicles or 60,000 people enter this market segment from SUVs every year. They are looking for additional features, and they are looking for additional features for vehicles. 

We cover a large number of markets. We have a variety of cabs and bed configurations, including eight-foot beds.

Taking into account the body style, transmission system, engine and various decorations, the 2022 Toyota Tundra will have 41 configurations. Domestic brands provide seemingly hundreds of configurations. Why choose less? 

In terms of our positioning in the market, this is part of the strategy. We also researched where we are currently successful. For every car we bring to the market, it is a balance between market coverage, understanding the target audience and the number of configurations. There are so many configurations that it becomes complicated for consumers to try to buy the vehicle they want at the dealership they want when they want it. We want to make sure that vehicles are as easy to reach as possible. And, of course, we did a lot of market research. Therefore, we can qualitatively and quantitatively understand where the buyers are and where the transaction volume is in the entire market segment. We triangulate where the buyer is, what we bring as a unique Toyota, and where there are plenty of opportunities.

Do you think there is more room for growth in the full-size pickup market? 

In general, the full-size pickup market has been very stable. I want to say that leaving aside the recent chip issues, the industry will continue to see strong market segments, but there will not be much growth. 

Where do Tundra buyers come from?

This will be a combination of retaining existing buyers. As you know, the truck has not undergone a major redesign for some time. Therefore, Tundra buyers who leave us will see that we have a strong product to get them back. They often leave because they want something different, and we haven't provided them with updated models. And I do think we now have a vehicle that can be competitive and conquer buyers of other brands.

Toyota is investing a lot of money in its truck factory, and Tacoma is now aging. Does this indicate that we will see the new Tacoma?

I am not going to talk about future products, but you know that we will update our vehicles regularly based on market dynamics. So we may have something in Tacoma, but I am not ready to talk about it now.

Market research is missing something. Heavy-duty pickup. Toyota again ignores people who need 3/4 ton for work or entertainment. Even a gvw of 8,500 pounds is sufficient. If Toyota does it, mine will be ordered. Very disappointing because we believe that the new tundra wood can compete with heavy pickup trucks.

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