Toyota quietly discontinues San Antonio-built single cab Tundra pickups

In September Toyota’s Tundra full size pick truck posted its best sales since December 2016. In September Toyota’s Tundra full size pick truck posted its best sales since December 2016. Photo: Rye Druzin /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Rye Druzin /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Toyota quietly discontinues San Antonio-built single cab Tundra pickups 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

Toyota is quietly discontinuing production of its two-door “single cab” Tundra full-sized pickup truck starting in the 2018 model year, building only double cab and extended cab versions at its plant in San Antonio.

“The heavy consumer demand for the Tundra CrewMax and Double Cab configurations … created low volume demand for the Regular Cab,” said Sam Butto, spokesman for Toyota Motor Sales.

The single cab Tundra made up less than 1 percent of Tundra sales said Ivan Drury, senior analyst for Edmunds, an automotive website. Double cab Tundras have four doors and a larger cabin, while crewmax Tundra’s increase the space of the stock double cab vehicle.

The move to phase out the single-cab comes 14 years after the introduction of the four-door Tundra. The Tundra began production in 1999 and took over for the Toyota T100 pickup.

Single cab trucks — which up until now have been built by Toyota, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors — are used more in fleets that are used specifically for construction purposes, Drury said.

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“Anytime you go look at a U-Haul or you see these work trucks that are specifically meant for actual workers, not as recreational vehicles,” he said.

Single cab pickup sales are roughly 8 percent of pickup truck sales for Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors, according to Drury.

In the last few years pickup truck and SUV sales have grown, largely driven by low gas prices and rising incentives. Toyota announced at the end of 2016 that it will increase its truck and SUV segment to 60 percent of its sales in the U.S. The company had been operating at a 50-50 split between trucks and cars.

As sales grow and gas prices remain low more buyers want a vehicle that will fit “all of my needs.”

“If I’m going to go out and buy a pickup and I buy one with a regular cab and I have kids well guess what, it’s not applicable,” Drury said. “If I go out and spend a few more dollars on the extended or crew cab it essentially becomes your family hauler.”

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rdruzin@express-news.net