Victor Sheppard, an American citizen, has reason to celebrate. He and his 2007 Toyota Tundra with 1 million miles (1,6 million kilometers) on the odometer have been featured in Toyota's latest marketing campaign. The American automaker gifted him a new Toyota Tundra as a token of appreciation for his loyalty, as this will be his 16th Toyota vehicle.
But Sheppard's old pickup has purposes beyond marketing. Toyota is very interested in this unit, with its higher mileage than usual, to dismantle it and analyze its various components . This process will take several months, involving the complete removal of the engine, gearbox, and chassis, as well as other components, to test their durability and study how to further improve them for future models.
What's most surprising is that this 2007 Toyota Tundra still has its original engine and transmission, having required no major repairs. Over these 10 years, Sheppard and his Tundra have visited the dealership no fewer than 117 times—more than once a month—for all scheduled maintenance . This is one of the keys to this pickup's longevity: not skimping on maintenance costs. Since acquiring it, Sheppard has driven most of those miles commuting to work, averaging 125.000 miles per year.
Now Sheppard has a new challenge, to reach a million miles with his new 2016 Toyota Tundra, at the same time that Toyota also takes on the challenge of proving the reliability of this pick-up.
Source – Toyota
