CHICAGO (AP) -- Toyota unveiled the 2010 Tundra pickup at the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday, featuring an optional smaller, more fuel-efficient V-8 engine and other features.
The truck, which will arrive at Toyota dealerships in April, can be equipped with a 4.6-liter V-8 engine, which the Japanese automaker said gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. Currently, the most fuel-efficient Tundra gets 15 city mpg 19 highway mpg.
For an added price, the truck will also feature a flex-fuel power train, which allows vehicles to run on gasoline-ethanol blends, and upgrades to the vehicle's exterior.
Toyota said it will release pricing on the vehicle before in the spring. The 2009 Tundra starts at $22,490, according to Toyota's Web site.
Sales of pickup trucks like the Tundra have taken a beating over the last year, first from last summer's spike in gasoline prices, then from the slowdown in new construction. Last year, passenger cars outsold light trucks -- a category that includes sport utility vehicles -- for the first time since 2000.
Tundra sales in the U.S. fell 41 percent last month. Toyota sales overall declined 32 percent during the same period.
U.S.-traded shares of Toyota Motor Corp. rose 64 cents to $67.88 in morning trading.
