Toyota has some of the best-selling vehicles on the market today, especially when it comes to SUVs. But, its truck division hasn’t quite seen the same sales figures yet, mainly its Tundra pickup. Sales of the Tundra have been on the lower side of the chart, at least until now. With the new look to the truck, it seems sales are reacting positively to the changes. So what’s new with the 2022 Toyota Tundra, and how do this model’s sales numbers compare with previous versions? 

What’s new for the 2022 Toyota Tundra?

Toyota finally took the plunge and redesigned the Tundra. For the exterior, you’ll see a massive grille with varying designs depending on which trim you choose. The truck also comes with a tailgate designed with an inward slant that you can open with a push-button style control near the tail light. 

To toughen up the outside styling, Toyota added some black accents to the hood, pronounced wheel arches, high beltlines, and black trim accenting the wheel wells on the truck. 

The brand didn’t skip the interior when it went through the redesigning stage. The 2022 model now has a multimedia system that’s five times faster than the one used on the previous Toyota Tundra model. You get a standard 8-inch touchscreen or the available 14-inch display, which comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The most exciting news is the company’s new hybrid powertrain on the truck. The base model will have the twin-turbo V6 engine paired with an electric motor producing 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. The same twin-turbo V6 engine will be tuned for higher trims to generate 437 hp and 538 lb-ft. 

Is the redesign helping boost sales for the 2022 Toyota Tundra?

This year isn’t quite over yet, and the pickup has already surpassed the total sales figure seen in the previous model year. For 2021, the Tundra sold 81,959 units over 12 months, according to GoodCarBadCar.

So far, in 2022, there have been 84,454 units sold, which is about 2,500 more than the previous model for the whole year. The only thing missing is December’s totals, which could be around 9,000 to 10,000 more if you go by October and November’s sales figures. 

Toyota kicked off the year with a relatively strong first quarter, which saw 22,643 sales. The next three months only had about 1,000 fewer purchases. In July and August, sales hit just over 20,000 units, with no data for September. 

It’s safe to say that the Tundra is having a pretty good year. So, the question now is how does 2022 compare with previous model sales?

History of sales for the truck

The history of the Toyota Tundra began with the 2000 model year, but GoodCarBadCar starts showing sales data starting in 2005. That version brought a good chunk of sales because drivers wanted to experience what the new truck had to offer. By 2007, the pickup saw its best year, with nearly 200,000 units sold. But, sales after that started to drop a bit. 

The 2009 model had a poor year compared to previous versions, with less than 80,000 purchases. Sales remained down, which more than likely has to do with the outdated models Toyota continued to produce. With few changes being made and nothing new to refresh people’s interest in the truck, sales hovered around the 100,000 mark. 

It wasn’t until the 2022 Tundra that Toyota finally stepped up to the plate and retired the old styling, bringing some modern looks to the truck. The brand also changed up the powertrain as well, which many people thought would never happen.

Even reviewers felt the Tundra took the award for making the most improvements in one model. Once this newly redesigned version hit the market, sales figures didn’t explode, but they did start to increase. 

The redesigned Tundra is a welcome change to the pickup market, which appears to be well-received by many. It looks like the move has paid off for the company because sales are beginning to rise. If all continues to go well, we could see the same large purchase numbers the truck had back when it debuted.