TOYOTA “TUNDRASINE” CONCEPT MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT

A Stretch Limo That Stretches the Limits of What a Full-Size Pickup Can Become

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—Toyota takes the Tundra pickup to new places in luxury and length with its Tundrasine concept, which made its global debut today as part of Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show display.

“SEMA members take their vehicles to extremes, and Toyota definitely goes to a new extreme with the Tundrasine. It stretches beyond what is normally expected of a stock Tundra,” said Steve Appelbaum, National Engagement Marketing Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “SEMA is the perfect event to debut this concept vehicle that takes the best of Tundra and turns it into the pinnacle in executive transport . . . limo style.”

The vehicle started out as a Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition 4×4 CrewMax 5.7L V8 pickup. Toyota then transformed that full-size Tundra into a larger-than-life-size limousine—hence the Tundrasine’s portmanteau name.

The Tundrasine is over 26 feet in length and has a wheelbase of 235.9 inches. The exterior is painted Midnight Black Metallic, and its eight doors open to reveal a custom and functional brown leather interior, inspired by the cockpits and passenger compartments of luxury private jets.

“People have seen plenty of limousines before, but never one quite like the Tundrasine,” said Appelbaum.

The Tundra that serves as the basis for this chauffeur-driven showstopper was—like all Toyota Tundras—assembled at the company’s facility in San Antonio. “They say everything’s bigger in Texas,” Appelbaum said, “and the Tundrasine really drives that point home—or anywhere you want to go.”

The Tundrasine can be seen November 3-6, 2015, in the Toyota display booth (#24700) located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2015 SEMA Show.

Fast Facts

Base vehicle: Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition 4×4 CrewMax 5.7LV8
Exterior color: Midnight Black Metallic
Interior color: Brown leather
Wheelbase: 235.9″ (+ 90.2″ vs. stock Tundra CrewMax)
Overall length: 319.1″ (+ 90.2″)
Overall height: 76.2″ (no change)
Overall width: 79.9″ (no change)
Track (front/rear): 67.9″/67.9″ (no change)
Curb weight: 7,978 lbs. (+ 2,288 lbs.)

TONKA 4RUNNER IS THE BIG TOY STORY AT TOYOTA’S SEMA DISPLAY

Fabled Toyota SUV Rises to New Heights

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—Putting the “Toy” in Toyota—with a capital T—is the purpose of the Tonka 4Runner concept vehicle, which will be on display at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show booth.

Toyota teamed with Funrise Toy Corporation, manufacturer of Tonka toys for Hasbro, to build a life-size Tonka SUV whose theme is “the ultimate off-road adventure.” The Tonka 4Runner joins the Tonka Tundra fire truck as the latest collaboration between the two iconic brands.

The Tonka 4Runner is powered by the same 4.0-liter V6 as the production 4Runner—but that’s about the only similarity between the two. The concept vehicle’s body—elevated to new heights by a ten-inch Bulletproof Suspension lift kit—sports bold matte black and yellow Tonka graphics. Twenty-inch Ultra Motorsports Type 250 Colossus wheels are enveloped by Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ 38×15.50R20LT off-road tires. Over each tire are Rigid Industries LED lights, so that the vehicle is as impossible to miss at night as it is in broad daylight.

The custom suspension includes King 8×2.5-inch and 10×2.5-inch coilovers, as well as an assortment of Bulletproof Suspension components. Bulletproof also designed the vehicle’s welded bumpers, roof rack, side steps and ladders.

The crowning touch, literally, is the pop-up tent on the Tonka 4Runner’s roof, which makes the SUV the ultimate dream machine for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Tonka 4Runner can be seen November 3-6, 2015, in the Toyota display booth (#24700) located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2015 SEMA Show.

TOYOTA’S ULTIMATE UTILITY VEHICLE REVEALED

Sienna Body on Tacoma Frame Has Wi-Fi, Internet, Satellite TV, Skype Capability, Night Vision Camera to Serve as Command Center for Ever-Better Expedition

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—The Toyota Ultimate Utility Vehicle—teased to the press in June when it began its journey on the Ever-Better Expedition—has made its long-awaited debut at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show booth.

The one-of-a-kind concept vehicle, which takes the spacious body of a Toyota Sienna minivan and mates it to a rugged Toyota Tacoma 4×4 frame, will serve as the command center for the North American leg of the expedition, a convoy of nine Toyota vehicles that are being driven over 16,500 miles through the continent’s most extreme driving conditions.

Because it is the operational hub of this grueling endurance test, the UUV is the most technologically sophisticated of connected cars. Among the fully functional equipment inside the UUV: a TracVision mobile satellite television receiver; Wi-Fi; Internet access; multiple USB ports; 17-inch monitor; 60-inch Sony LED TV; 2,500-watt JBL audio system; and a Flir M-324xp night vision camera system with high-definition recording capability.

From captain’s chairs equipped with laptop tray tables in the back of the Ultimate Utility Vehicle, Toyota engineers can monitor driving data from every vehicle in real time; record video of vehicle handling and braking, day or night; and report back to Toyota headquarters on the cars’ performance via Skype.

The UUV uses a Sienna minivan body because it offers the most interior space for the array of electronic equipment housed inside the vehicle. But even the durable Sienna is not designed for the challenging off-road adventures the Ever-Better Expedition vehicles face. So its unibody structure was hollowed out, reinforced, and mated to a similarly reinforced Tacoma four-wheel-drive frame.

For outstanding ground clearance and approach and departure angles, the UUV has been equipped with an Engaged four-link long-travel suspension that gives a four-inch lift in ride height. 33×22 Nitto Mud Grappler tires mounted on 22×12-inch Monster Energy 539B off-road wheels get power to the ground on and off road. The UUV boasts an amazing 15.75 inches of wheel travel to conquer virtually any type of terrain it may encounter.

The size of the tires hampered operation of the stock Sienna’s sliding rear doors and front-hinged front doors. So the rear doors were reengineered and motorized to slide out, rather than back, to offer access to the cavernous passenger compartment. And the front doors were redesigned to open from the front, “suicide”-style, for ease of entry and exit without compromising the UUV’s off-road prowess.

From behind the wheel, operating the Ultimate Utility Vehicle seems identical to driving a stock Sienna. But, while the levers and buttons appear to be the same OEM equipment you’d find in a production Sienna, they are actually carefully crafted replicas which control the functions of the Tacoma pickup on which the UUV is based.

The Ever-Better Expedition has already completed the hot-weather portion of its North American leg. After the SEMA Show, when the weather turns rigid and icy in Canada and Alaska, the rigorous journey will continue—and the Ultimate Utility Vehicle will be at the center of it all.

The Ultimate Utility Vehicle—along with numerous other Toyota specialty vehicles—will be found in the Toyota display booth (#24700) in Central Hall and on the Patio Annex of the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 3-6, 2015.

RALLY RAV4 TO BE SHOWCASED AT TOYOTA’S 2015 SEMA DISPLAY

A Stock Crossover Crossing Over New Boundaries

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—The Toyota RAV4 that Ryan Millen has piloted to four victories in this year’s Rally America series will be prominently displayed at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show booth.

Millen himself, a member of the famed Millen family of racing legends, will also make an appearance at the display, where he will sign autographs and pose for pictures following Toyota’s 10:00 a.m. press conference on Tuesday, November 3.

The rally car started life as a 2015 RAV4 LE but, with the help of his team, Millen removed about 500 pounds from the crossover by completely gutting the interior. The door panels, rear bench and headliner are gone, the front doors are fitted with Plexiglas windows and the LE’s cloth-upholstered front seats have been replaced by a pair of lightweight racing seats. A full roll cage helps protect the occupants from the sometimes brutal realities of rally racing.

The RAV4 LE’s 17-inch steel wheels have been replaced by a set of black 15-inch alloys wrapped by BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires. Additionally, the crossover has gained TEIN suspension components on both axles that offer better cornering performance across a wide range of conditions.

Surprisingly, Toyota has not made any engine modifications so the rally car is powered by a stock RAV4 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 176 horsepower and 172 pounds-feet of torque. The crossover was built to compete in the 2WD Open Class so it is fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission that spins the front wheels only.

In his inaugural season, Millen, his navigator and fiancée Christine Fate, and the RAV4 have won their class in four out of five of the rallies they’ve entered.

But Millen is no stranger to winning races in Toyota vehicles. The son of off-roading/rally legend Rod Millen has a history with Toyota that stretches back to his childhood, including racing in the MTEG stadium series at the age of nine, piloting an FJ Cruiser in the Baja 1000, and winning his class in the Baja 1000 in a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro just last year.

“I’ve driven just about everything Toyota has to offer,” Millen said, “and I’ve been very impressed with the RAV4’s performance in spite of the fact that it’s very stock. We never imagined it would do so well right out of the box.”

The Rally RAV4 can be seen November 3-6, 2015, in the Toyota display booth (#24700) located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2015 SEMA Show.

TOYOTA SIENNA R-TUNED CONCEPT PUSHES THE LIMITS AT TOYOTA’S 2015 SEMA DISPLAY

Sienna with Stock Engine and Transmission Outpaces Camaro SS

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—Why turn a Sienna minivan—the least likely product in the Toyota lineup—into a performance vehicle? It’s one thing to make an LFA supercar go fast around a racetrack. People expect that. But no one sees a Sienna coming.

People’s perception of just how much fun you can have driving a family hauler will change dramatically when they see the Toyota Sienna R-Tuned concept, which made its debut today at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show display.

Toyota Technical Center collaborated with championship-winning performance shop DG-Spec to modify a stock Sienna SE “Swagger Wagon” with performance tires, wheels, brakes, double-adjustable shocks with racing springs, and a clutch-type limited-slip differential to deliver radically enhanced performance.

The result? Even though the concept uses the Sienna’s stock 3.5-liter V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, it has outpaced even a 6.2-liter V8 Camaro SS on the test track. At the Streets of Willow Springs, just north of Los Angeles, the Sienna R-Tuned turned a blistering 1:27 lap time, sailing past the 6.2-liter V8 Camaro by a full second around the 1.7-mile sports car course.

“When we produced the Sienna SE, we started moving in the direction of more sportiness beyond what you would find in a family hauler,” said Andrew Lund, chief engineer for the Sienna at Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “With the Sienna R-Tuned, we wanted to see if we could create a vehicle that would push the limits even farther. We definitely proved that it’s possible.”

When asked how the Sienna R-Tuned could go faster than a 426-horsepower sports car, Lund said, “We looked at the overall dynamics of the vehicle, and made adjustments to make the vehicle handle and brake better. The Sienna R-Tuned simply carries more speed through the corners.”

Yet the Sienna R-Tuned isn’t a vehicle that can only be handled by a professional driver. When tested by a select group of everyday drivers, they were truly surprised at how easy it is to drive. People felt more confident, more in control and more secure behind the wheel.

The Sienna R-Tuned can be seen November 3-6, 2015, in the Toyota display booth (#24700) located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2015 SEMA Show.

LC 200 TO APPEAR AT TOYOTA’S 2015 SEMA DISPLAY

Australian Land Cruiser Serves as Torch Bearer for Grueling Ever-Better Expedition

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015—The Toyota LC 200 that is currently serving as the torch bearer in Toyota’s grueling Ever-Better Expedition will be showcased at Toyota’s 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show booth.

The Ever-Better Expedition is a “global test drive” spanning five continents in which Toyota engineers drive production vehicles through the most demanding terrain on the planet, all in an effort to build “ever better” vehicles.

The expedition began last year in Australia, when 50 Toyota engineers drove 15 Toyota models nearly 12,500 miles. The LC 200 is the Australian version of the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota’s longest-running series and a vehicle known around the world for its off-road prowess.

The North American leg of the expedition, which began this summer, is even more demanding than the Australian segment. The 110-day, 16,000-mile leg will stretch from the heat of Death Valley to the icy winter roads of Alaska, and from the congested streets of Manhattan to the soaring heights of Pikes Peak.

The LC 200 on display at SEMA is the global torchbearer for the entire Ever-Better Expedition.

The LC 200 can be seen November 3-6, 2015, in the Toyota display booth (#24700) located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2015 SEMA Show.