Photo: tacoma4g.com
The Japanese automaker is currently deeply involved with the teaser marketing campaign for the best-selling Tacoma mid-size pickup truck, and everyone seems to be ready to chip in, but now we have more questions than answers.
The results for the first quarter of 2023 U.S. sales are in, with Toyota ‘quite happy’ with its North American efforts – mostly because during the first three quarters of the year it managed an ‘outstanding’ negative result of minus 8.8 percent compared to the same period last year. That is overall, as the namesake Toyota brand fared even worse, down 12% “on a volume and DSR basis.”
Well, at least some of their models did not suffer, with the company reporting the best-ever Q1 deliveries for the Corolla HEV, Corolla Cross, Highlander HEV, RAV4 Prime, and Tundra HEV. Speaking of pickup trucks, the full-size model jumped 22.1 percent during the first three months of the year and even the mid-size Tacoma, which is due for replacement soon, has soared almost one percent during the period.
Now, unless someone has been living under a Mars rock, all Toyota fans know very well that the Rising Sun carmaker is all hands on deck for the teaser marketing campaign regarding the impending arrival of the fourth generation of the best-selling Tacoma. They started with a single shadowy teaser of a Tacoma sitting up somewhere high at dusk or dawn, and the all-new truck sure gave off mini-Tundra vibes. Then, the company slapped on social media a photo of a current Tacoma V6 4x4 that was brimming with hints – a patent office building’s sign, a blurred 2024 Tacoma in the background, and even a license plate spelling the date of April 4th, 2023.
Well, of course, we thought that was the reveal moment, seeing as it was just before the start of the 2023 New York Auto Show (April 7-16) and knowing that its press days are April 5 and 6. However, when the time came, all we got was yet another teaser with the rear of the 2024 model year. Alas, it was still a bit more revealing than anything that had been announced prior, reading aloud TRD Pro on the tailgate and also bearing the inscription of “i-Force Max.”
Naturally, that makes us wonder – is that an inline four under the hood, like in the S235 sixteenth generation Crown cross-sedan and 2024 Grand Highlander, or a fully hybridized V6 with 437 horsepower or less, just like under the hood of the 2023 Tundra sibling? As always, there are more questions than answers, and we may be nowhere near the reveal date. This is because now there are also leaked teaser images that depict the same shadowy Tacoma from the front, complete with an LED light bar for the fascia, and from the side.
They seem to come from the same set as the initial teaser, and we are obviously surprised they were withheld from the general public. Additional info shared by the tacoma4g.com forum page talks about a potential confirmation of a coil spring rear suspension (with trailing arms). Plus, there was also an update about media info being sent out with an embargo for 5:10 am EST (02:10 am PST), which could hint at the i-Force Max electrified powertrain having 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque, which is a bit more than a Crown Hybrid Max’s rating of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).
Well, at least some of their models did not suffer, with the company reporting the best-ever Q1 deliveries for the Corolla HEV, Corolla Cross, Highlander HEV, RAV4 Prime, and Tundra HEV. Speaking of pickup trucks, the full-size model jumped 22.1 percent during the first three months of the year and even the mid-size Tacoma, which is due for replacement soon, has soared almost one percent during the period.
Now, unless someone has been living under a Mars rock, all Toyota fans know very well that the Rising Sun carmaker is all hands on deck for the teaser marketing campaign regarding the impending arrival of the fourth generation of the best-selling Tacoma. They started with a single shadowy teaser of a Tacoma sitting up somewhere high at dusk or dawn, and the all-new truck sure gave off mini-Tundra vibes. Then, the company slapped on social media a photo of a current Tacoma V6 4x4 that was brimming with hints – a patent office building’s sign, a blurred 2024 Tacoma in the background, and even a license plate spelling the date of April 4th, 2023.
Well, of course, we thought that was the reveal moment, seeing as it was just before the start of the 2023 New York Auto Show (April 7-16) and knowing that its press days are April 5 and 6. However, when the time came, all we got was yet another teaser with the rear of the 2024 model year. Alas, it was still a bit more revealing than anything that had been announced prior, reading aloud TRD Pro on the tailgate and also bearing the inscription of “i-Force Max.”
Naturally, that makes us wonder – is that an inline four under the hood, like in the S235 sixteenth generation Crown cross-sedan and 2024 Grand Highlander, or a fully hybridized V6 with 437 horsepower or less, just like under the hood of the 2023 Tundra sibling? As always, there are more questions than answers, and we may be nowhere near the reveal date. This is because now there are also leaked teaser images that depict the same shadowy Tacoma from the front, complete with an LED light bar for the fascia, and from the side.
They seem to come from the same set as the initial teaser, and we are obviously surprised they were withheld from the general public. Additional info shared by the tacoma4g.com forum page talks about a potential confirmation of a coil spring rear suspension (with trailing arms). Plus, there was also an update about media info being sent out with an embargo for 5:10 am EST (02:10 am PST), which could hint at the i-Force Max electrified powertrain having 510 Nm (376 lb-ft) of torque, which is a bit more than a Crown Hybrid Max’s rating of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).
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