Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama (TMMAL) held an event to mark the first of Toyota’s latest engine products for the all-new 2022 Tundra (earlier post) to come off the production line. These new engines, a hybrid electric powered twin-turbo V6 engine and the gas-powered twin-turbo V6 engine, usher in the next era of powertrains being assembled in Huntsville.

Toyota Alabama is the sole producer of both engine models for the 2022 Tundra in North America, creating long–term employment stability for the plant’s 1,800 workers.

The new i-FORCE MAX powertrain—the hybrid option—uses the same platform as the gasoline only twin-turbo V6, but features a motor generator with a clutch located within the bell housing between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. In essence, the motor generator is built in-line to provide additional power that is transferred efficiently via the transmission, while the engine start-up, EV driving, electric assist and energy regeneration are solely done via the parallel hybrid components.

Both of the twin-turbo V6 engine options for the 2022 Tundra are being built on the longest Toyota engine line in North America—142 yards (130 meters). The V6 Turbo line will produce a new engine every 58 seconds, with a capacity to build 18,000 engines each month. These additional engines push the total capacity for Toyota Alabama engine production to up to 900,000 engines per year.

The all-new 2022 Tundra goes on sale later this year. The standard i-FORCE 3.5L twin-turbo produces up to 389 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. The i-FORCE MAX powertrain boasts 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful engine in the Toyota line-up.

Toyota’s new twin-turbo V6 engine line was part of a $288-million investment that also added 450 new jobs. That represented the largest hiring need in Toyota Alabama’s history, boosting the plant’s total employment to 1,800. Completion of this project—originally announced in February 2019—marked the fifth expansion at Toyota Alabama. Toyota Alabama’s total cumulative investment is $1.2 billion and now boasts an annual engine capacity of 900,000.