Toyota may export Tundras and Sequoias
David Barkholz
Automotive News
August 11, 2008 - 11:05 am ET
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Toyota Motor Corp. could make the U.S. an export base as it looks to export its Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV in the face of slumping North American sales.
Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc., told the Management Briefing Seminars today that the light trucks could be attractive to overseas buyers.
The Tundra is primarily built at the 2-year-old San Antonio assembly plant while the Sequoia and a small number of Tundras are built in Princeton, Ind.
Toyota idled production of both vehicles on Friday, Aug. 8, because of high inventories of the vehicles. They will resume production in mid-November.
Tundra U.S. sales are down 15.2 percent through July from 105,990 a year ago to 89,929 so far this year. The all-new Sequoia has somewhat bucked the trend. It is up 32.8 percent to 19,367 in U.S. sales through July compared 14,582
Sales industry-wide of pickups and large SUVs have plummeted in the past four months as $4 per gallon gasoline has driven consumers to smaller, fuel-efficient cars.
At San Antonio, Toyota is keeping idled workers busy with various projects instead of laying them off.
Toyota imports tens of thousands of cars into the United States from Japan, including the popular Camry sedan, but has done little exporting from its operations here.
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