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Bigger, bolder and more powerful.Those words just about sum up the changes in the completely redesigned Toyota Tundra, which goes on sale early next year — and which will be the first product of the automaker’s new San Antonio assembly plant.

Toyota took the wraps off the 2007 Tundra during a media preview of the Chicago auto show last week, showing a vehicle that the company says will compete head-to-head with the best-selling General Motors full-size pickups as well as the big pickups from Ford and Dodge.

Whether traditional truck buyers can be enticed to buy the Tundra remains to be seen, but Toyota has plans to sell about 200,000 of them next year, up from 125,529 in 2005. The automaker has a long way to go to catch up with GM or Ford, however. GM sold 936,468 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra full-size pickups in 2005, and with the Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac EXT pickups — built on the same chassis — added, the world’s largest automaker sold a total of 1,007,419 big pickups last year.

Ford was second, with 901,463 F-series pickups sold in 2005, and with the full-size Lincoln Mark LT added, the grand total was 911,737.

Toyota even has a way to go to beat Dodge, though, which sold 400,543 of its full-size Ram pickups last year. And Nissan is on its way to catching up with the Tundra. In just the second year of production of its full-size Titan, Nissan racked up 86,945 sales of the truck in 2005.

But Toyota did win the sales crown for compact/midsize pickups last year, selling 168,831 of its Tacoma models, compared with 163,204 sales of GM’s Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon models, 120,468 of Ford’s Ranger, and 104,061 of Dodge’s Dakota.

The difference, of course, is that compact/midsize pickups are purchased almost exclusively for personal use, as are most of the Toyota and Nissan full-size trucks. But the bulk of sales of GM, Ford and Dodge full-size pickups are for commercial use, including farm/ranch and construction sites.

It’s that nut that Toyota has yet to crack, but that’s what Japan’s largest automaker has in mind with the rugged design of the new Tundra, company officials said during the Chicago introduction.

“From bumper-to-bumper, under the hood and from the inside out, the new Tundra is a true American truck that will set a new benchmark in the full-size truck segment,” said Jim Lentz, group vice president and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales USA. “It will be aimed at the ‘true trucker,’ the true opinion leaders among full-size owners. ‘True truckers’ are highly credible because they use, punish, and demand the most out of the pickups they buy.”

Until now, Toyota has sold the Tundra mostly to what the company has referred to as the “modern trucker,” a group made up of mostly city dwellers who have bought Japanese cars or compact trucks in the past, but have decided to try a full-size pickup for use as a family vehicle.

Toyota rolled out the Tundra in 1999 as a 2000 model, following the company’s unsuccessful earlier attempt at a large pickup, the T100, which wasn’t quite full-size. Beefing up the available power was considered one of the keys to competing successfully against GM, Ford and Dodge in the segment, and to that end, Toyota will offer a new 5.7-liter V-8 engine that will allow the new Tundra to pull trailers weighing up to 10,000 pounds.

But unlike its American competitors, Toyota will not yet offer super-sized versions of the Tundra to match the GM, Ford and Dodge three-quarter and one-ton heavy-duty pickups that can tow considerably more. For now, the Tundra will come only in the so-called half-ton size.

Still, the Tundra has been completely redesigned to be much stronger than before, Toyota says. It’s on a longer wheelbase, and is 10 inches longer overall than the current model. It’s also almost five inches higher and four inches wider. The all-new Tundra chassis is 30 percent stronger than that of the current model.

Besides the new 5.7-liter V-8, engine choices will include the 4.0-liter V-6 and 4.7-liter V-8 used in the 2006 Tundra. All three will be built at a new Toyota engine plant near Huntsville, Ala. The big V-8 will be connected to a new, heavy duty six-speed automatic transmission, Toyota said.

Other improvements will include heavy duty front disc brakes with four-piston calipers and vented rotors, along with standard rear disc brakes. To aid with trailer-towing, high-capacity cooling and electrical systems are standard.

As with the current Tundra, there will be regular, extended and double-cab configurations in three trim levels — base, SR5 and top-of-the-line Limited. In all, 30 different model configurations will be offered, twice what is offered now, Toyota said. The design is much more aggressive than that of the 2006 model, including a bolder grille, larger bumpers and headlights, a thicker body and taller doors.

Toyota promises a “class-leading, roomy passenger cabin” that will provide four more inches of hip and shoulder room to front occupants, and nearly three inches more shoulder room and six inches of additional hip room for rear-seat passengers. There will be hidden inside storage areas, and the second-row seats can be used as work surfaces, the automaker said.

The new Tundra will have a tailgate that can be opened and closed using just two fingers, thanks to dampers on the hinges. That’s an improvement over the heavy tailgates of the Tundra’s competitors.

Other features will include large door handles, easy-to-turn heating and air conditioning controls, and adjustable headrests. The headrests will allow the occupants to ride in the vehicle without having to remove hardhats, Toyota said.

Large side mirrors will help with trailer-towing, and a trailer hitch will be “integrated into the Tundra’s frame for better stability when handling heavy loads,” the company said. The truck won’t be aimed just at the commercial market, though. At least for the short term, Tundra buyers primarily will be using the vehicle for personal and family use, and to facilitate those customers, carlike amenities will abound.

Options and accessories will include a JBL premium audio system with Bluetooth telephone compatibility, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a wide-screen backup camera built into the tailgate handle for “enhanced rear-view safety,” Toyota said. “As much as the new Tundra has changed, there are a few things that remain the same,” Toyota Motor Sales President Jim Press said. “Tundra will again offer the most comfortable, quiet and refined ride in the full-size truck segment. Its build quality, reliability, and durability will, again, be second to none.”

G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236 or chambers@star-telegram.com.