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PODCAST: Toyota Tundra in Mzansi can shake up the bakkie game
American bakkie's hybrid powertrain produces 325kW of power and 790Nm of torque.
South Africans love driving bakkies, the bigger the better. This love-affair can soon grow more intense with the imminent arrival the Toyota Tundra in right-hand drive.
The Toyota Tundra is an American truck-styled bakkie built for the North American market manufactured at two assembly plants in Indiana and Texas. While it is built exclusively in left-hand drive (LHD), Australian-firm Autogroup International (AGI) imports them and then convert them into right-hand drive.
Durban-based Rospa International has now entered into a partnership agreement with AGI which could soon lead to the Toyota Tundra making its way to Mzansi via Down Under.
Toyota Tundra makes a Pitstop
On this week's episode of The Citizen Motoring's Pitstop podcast, we discuss the bakkie's potential in South Africa.
The Toyota Tundra is offered as a hybrid in the US. A 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine hooked up to an electric motor and battery pack combines to deliver a monstrous 325kW of power and 790Nm of torque. These numbers, along with its outlandishly big dimensions, are exactly the reasons local bakkie fans would crave to hav a Toyota Tundra standing in their driveways.
Rospa International has a solid reputation for importing classic and sports cars, mainly from Japan. These include Nissan GT-Rs, Honda NSXs, Toyota AE86s and Mazda RX-7s. Its partnership with AGI will also see its portfolio expand to a range of American cars. These include the likes of the Dodge Challenger, Hummer EV and Camaro.
ALSO READ: Importer to offer right-hand-drive Toyota Tundra in Mzansi
Experienced converters
'AGI firmly believes in right-hand-drive markets and the opportunities they present,' says Rob Hill, CEO of AGI.
'Since the early 1990s, we have carefully re-engineered over 5 000 LHD vehicles for export all over the world. We can now add South Africa to that list through Rospa International, a company that shares our vision and passion.'
Rospa International will offer finance on the imported cars, as well as three-year/100 000km warranties with after-sales back-up.
