Now you can’t bully me anymore,” that seems to be the threat of the new Toyota Tundra to its competitors as it was unveiled in the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. Now bigger and bolder, the new Japanese full-size pickup truck has indeed become a worthy competitor to the large Detroit-born pickups like the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado, and the Dodge Ram. The question now is, will it be able to last long competing with the large American pickups?

When the 2007 Toyota Tundra was unveiled last Thursday, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) President Jim Press was all praise for the truck, referring to it as the “biggest, boldest bad-ass truck in Toyota history.” Well, it indeed is. For one, the new pickup truck is some 10 inches longer than the current Toyota Tundra. Further, the truck now has that bolder stance, shouting that it is no longer an underdog in the full-size pickup truck segment. Providing the vehicle this bolder stance is its heavily chrome-laden grille, taller doors and thicker body.

But the 2007 Toyota Tundra is not only about size and appearance. It is also about power. While the same 4.0-liter V6 and 4.7-liter V8 engines will be used for the base and mid-level versions of the vehicle, upper-level Toyota Tundras will be equipped with a new 5.7-liter V8 engine. Power specs for the engine were not yet revealed by Toyota, but based on the new vehicle’s towing capacity (10,000 lbs maximum), we can say that the new engine is indeed more powerful. Another feature of the new engine is its capability to meet ULEV specifications.

The 2007 Toyota Tundra is expected to feature a lot of other innovations when it goes on sale early next year. Unluckily for us, Toyota has been very cautious in giving out a lot of details. In paper, the Toyota Tundra promises to be a real threat to the local pickup truck industry. But whether it can really outclass the current leaders in the full-size pickup truck segment, we’ll only be able to tell when it finally goes on sale.