The recent slump in the U.S. SUV and trucks markets has Toyota considering a move that has only been rarely seen by the Japanese automaker: exporting U.S.-made vehicles to other global markets.
According to Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc., Toyota is strongly considering exporting the U.S.-made Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia SUV to other global markets. No specific countries or regions have been earmarked for the U.S.-made vehicles, but St. Angelo hinted that there was sufficient demand in some overseas markets.
Toyota idled production of both vehicles in the U.S. on August 8th, with production expected to fire back up in mid-November, according to Automotive News. Tundra sales have fallen off more than 15 percent this year, while the Sequoia has actually bucked the SUV downturn to post a 32.8 percent sales gain through July.
