The Latest News, Rumors and Changes in the Truck World

Auctioned ’22 Tundras Raise Over $1.2M for Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund

 Toyota auctioned two of the first i-FORCE MAX Tundras at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, over the weekend, resulting in more than $1.2 million going to benefit the Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund. The 2022 Toyota Tundra Capstone with VIN 001 sold for $700,000. The Toyota TRD Pro with VIN 002 sold for $550,000.

The Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund is a first-of-its-kind program launched by the company to support Team USA’s Paralympic athletes as they pursue their sport dreams. To date, more than 430 U.S. Paralympic athletes and hopefuls have received direct support from the Fund, with contributions from across the country, including from Toyota dealerships. With proceeds from the Toyota auctions at Barrett-Jackson, the Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund has now raised more than $4.9 million.

U.S. Paralympian Kaitlyn Verfuerth, who received support from the Toyota U.S. Paralympic Fund, joined Toyota on the auction block both nights.

“I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would help Toyota auction off a Tundra for $550,000!” says Verfuerth. “These funds will go directly to help Paralympic athletes train, have proper equipment and have access to the best coaching. This type of support is life-changing, and I cannot thank Toyota enough for helping me go more places than I’ve ever imagined.”

Each winning bidder will also receive:

• A Toyota-hosted trip for two to Park City, Utah, for an exclusive program to cheer on the Team USA athletes who will be competing at the Paralympic Winter Games;
• A Tundra engine cover signed by chief engineer Mike Sweers; and
• An exclusive framed print of the original Tundra styling sketches from Calty (Toyota’s North American design studio), signed by Calty President Kevin Hunter and Tundra Exterior Designers Adam Rabinowitz and Chung Lee.

Ford Sees New Sales Record; F-Series Hits 40 Million

 Ford hit an all-time record for both new retail vehicle orders and for filling retail orders in January. Ford took in over 90,000 new vehicle orders in January—up 71,000 from a year ago and up 20,000 from December 2021. Vehicles are moving off dealer lots at a record pace, as 37% of Ford’s retail sales in January came from previously placed customer orders.

Ford began the year with F-Series, Ranger and Maverick pickups outselling GM’s combined pickup sales in January. January sales mark 40 million F-Series pickups sold since 1948. Ford’s all-new Maverick totals 6,513 sales, with 3,549 of these trucks sold as hybrids. Overall, Ford pickup sales are up 1.5%.

SEMA Launches Emissions Certification Program

Designed to Help Manufacturers Get Products to Market Faster

 SEMA introduced a new program to make it possible for automotive aftermarket parts manufacturers to meet the legal requirement for emissions compliance under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tampering Policy. The program, called SEMA Certified-Emissions (SC-E), gives manufacturers the ability to verify that a product meets the EPA’s “reasonable basis” criteria and is therefore legal for sale in 49 states.

For the first time ever, manufacturers have a clear, accelerated path to compliance and can begin selling products legally in 49 states prior to receiving a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO), which is still a requirement for selling products in all 50 states.

Since 2014, the SEMA Garage has been instrumental in helping automotive aftermarket parts manufacturers obtain CARB EOs. With state-of-the-art CARB-recognized testing equipment and dedicated expert staff conducting tests and assisting with the process, the SEMA Garage has helped secure more than 500 CARB EOs—over half of all performance parts EOs issued by CARB.

The new SC-E program is comparable to CARB EO requirements and was developed in response to the EPA’s Tampering Policy. SEMA staff will assess manufacturer’s needs and advise as to the most appropriate path forward, whether that includes applying for a CARB EO or SEMA emissions certification. SC-E may help manufacturers get to market about three months before obtaining a CARB EO. SC-E is also ideal for products that may not have a clear path in the CARB EO process (such as Flex-Fuel modifications, HCT equipped intakes, and engine packages).

The SEMA Garage is available to auto parts manufacturers with all their product development needs. For more information, visit www.sema.org.