Another massive American-style ‘pick-up truck’ is coming to , with Toyota launching the Tundra Down Under in November – despite growing backlash over such huge utes.
The Tundra, which is set to be priced close to $150k, follows in the tyre tracks of other giants like the RAM 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and Ford F-150, which have soared in popularity among Aussie drivers.
While many are excited about Tundra’s launch, there are also significant concerns about such large vehicles, which increase blindspots and reduce sightlines for other drivers, struggle to negotiate sidestreets, and do not fit in narrow lanes or in parking bays.
Australasian New Car Assessment Program head Carla Hoorweg said the organisation had received ‘a lot of community concerns’ over the mega-utes.
‘We’re looking at vehicles that are being designed for the US market, they’re not necessarily going to have a focus on pedestrian protection or vulnerable road user protection, that’s not a focus in those regulations,’ she told carsguide.com.au.
‘So we know there’s going to be a gap there.’
Ms Hoorweg said US lacks specific regulations for pedestrian impact protection, unlike .
As a result, many of these vehicles do not adhere to n Design Rules.
‘We are considering what our options are around physical testing, so there’s potential for pedestrian impact testing,’ she said.
But for now full crash tests of these utes are not possible for ANCAP due to the millions of dollars needed to buy five vehicles of each model needed to conduct the tests.
Russell White, CEO of the n Road Safety Foundation warned American-style utes have increased blind spots.
‘The bigger these sorts of vehicles are, there is a bigger risk of blind spots being large enough to hide vulnerable road users, so having things like front facing cameras should definitely be part of the overall safety envelope,’ Mr White said.
‘Just as we’ve seen with reversing cameras, its another tool that a driver can have so that they can have the information they need to operate the vehicle.
‘As they become more popular and there are more of them, unless something is done to look at the safety rating of them to evolve them with the time, we might potentially see more incidents on the roads.’
Samantha Ratnam, a politician for the Victorian Greens, said Aussie highways aren’t designed to accommodate the trucks – and she argues that owners should be forced to pay increased registration and parking fees on them.
‘It’s an undeniable fact that super-sized vehicles are dangerous. They have blind spots up to four metres in front of the vehicle,’ Ms Ratnam said.
‘And it is no coincidence that a child is eight times more likely to die being hit by a larger utility vehicle when compared to a lighter car.
‘Not to mention the astonishing amount of pollution caused by these beasts.
‘Large utes have a role in regional areas, but these luxury vehicles – that often cost upwards of $100,000 – have significantly higher emissions, and are more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists than regular passenger cars,’ she wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, in the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced plans to crack down on large pick-ups, SUVs and van after pedestrian fatalities went up by a shocking 57 per cent between 2013 and 2022.
Many Aussies are also calling for an outright ban on US-style pickups down under.
‘I cringe whenever I see ns driving these American-designed, compensating-for-something trucks,’ one said.
‘These vehicles make me irrationally angry. I can’t fathom the type of person who buys these,’ another added.
‘They’re not better at anything than more reasonable tradie cars. They’re totally impractical. They stick the middle finger up at the planet. I hate them so much.’
Owners of the utes have regularly been slammed for taking up multiple carpark spaces.
‘This isn’t about utility, it’s just being about saying a big agressive f*** you to everyone else,’ one commenter wrote.
‘Unless you truly need that (pick-up truck), you are making life worse for those driving around you and parked next to you,’ another said.
‘Don’t let unnecessarily big car vanity culture from the US take over here just like tipping is trying to.’
Despite the outrage, the demand for such vehicles is strong enough for Toyota to chase that n market with the Tundra.
The pick-ups will be made in the US state of Indiana and leave the factory there with the steering wheel on the left before being rebuilt as a right-hand drive vehicle using LandCruiser 300 Series components.
Toyota Tundras are much larger, more powerful and far more expensive than ‘s most popular ute, the Hilux.
Tundras are up to 6.2m in length, up to 80cm longer than a Hilux and at 2m in height, up to 30cm taller.
While converting right-hand drive cars to left-hand drives is quite common in the aftermarket, Toyota had never previously approved such a project that allows the car to be sold with a full factory warranty in a dealership.
‘This announcement is the first time – in fact anywhere in the world – that we at Toyota have taken a vehicle built in a country that’s not Japan, exported it to a third country, re-engineered it with a local partner, undertaken final assembly in a non-Toyota factory and sold it as 100 per cent Toyota branded vehicle,’ Toyota’s sales, marketing and franchise operations vice president Sean Hanley said.
‘It confirms that right-hand drive Tundra meets Toyota’s global standards for equality, durability and reliability.’
The Tundra will initially be offered in with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 hybrid powertrain outputting a combined 326kW/790Nm.
Standard equipment includes synthetic leather trim, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone ventilation, wireless phone charging and a 12-speaker JBL sound system.
There’s also a 12.3-inch (31cm) digital instrument cluster and 14-inch (35cm) screen incorporating Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay.
And next year, there will be a new higher spec, more luxurious model.
‘It will appeal to buyers looking for a full-size pick-up truck with upscale comfort,’ Mr Hanley said.