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Photo: AutoYa Interior / YouTube
When the Nissan Titan goes out of production after the 2025 model year, the U.S. full-size pickup truck market is likely to shrink slightly, as the Japanese automaker doesn’t expect to be able to restore the Titan to its former glory.
Besides the Nissan Titan and Titan XD, the segment includes the ubiquitous and best-selling Ford F-Series (F-150 and Super Duty), Chevrolet’s Silverado and GMC Sierra twins (Silverado and Sierra 1500, or their respective HD variants), Ram models, and the Toyota Tundra. Unfortunately, the latter is missing one key option: a heavy-duty version. Instead, the Japanese automaker thinks the 2025 Tundra and 2025 Tundra i-Force Max will be more than enough to cater to everyone’s needs.
In fact, the aging third-generation Tundra was launched in 2021 on the modular TNGA-F body-on-frame platform that also underpins the Sequoia. SUV There’s also the Tacoma, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, and midsize models like the Lexus GX and LX. The 2025 model will go on sale in August with prices starting at $40,090, or $58,005 with the 437-horsepower i-Force Max hybrid option, and will be available in more than 10 trims, including a new TRD Rally package.
For many, that may be more than enough to pick a favorite, but in our parallel universe of vehicular CGI, that certainly isn’t the case, and so the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has been hard at work preparing not only a long-awaited mid-cycle refresh, but also a new Tundra HD variant that will go toe-to-toe with other big cars in the segment, particularly the Ford Super Duty.
This vision comes from the fine folks at YouTube’s AutoYa Info channel, which has a satellite site called AutoYa Interior, where all the (CGI) Toyota Tundra HD action is taking shape in the latest behind-the-scenes vision video, embedded below, which not only offers an unofficial and hypothetical preview of the upcoming refresh procedure, but also showcases the enticing possibility of Toyota’s foray into the HD truck sector.
Our resident pixel master has been busy showing off the exterior and interior changes, including refreshed lights, a redesigned grille and an improved cockpit that now features a single ultra-wide display with picture-in-picture functionality instead of separate screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment system, but the CGI expert hasn’t neglected the classic shade reels inside and out, either, giving the whimsical Tundra HD some classic, rugged DNA, including dual rear wheels, a massive front fascia and a raised ride height.
So what do you think about this wishful thinking project, and should Toyota consider entering the heavy-duty truck sector, especially when it could pair the Tundra HD with its powerful and torquey i-Force Max V6 powertrain?