Never Mind Golden Eras or Volantes, All I Really Want Is a 'Tonka' Truck From Toyota

Slowly but steadily, without some of us even noticing, the automotive landscape has forever changed. Passenger cars are turning extinct or into endangered species, CUVs, SUVs, and pickup trucks are all the rage, the EV revolution is finally upon us (or so they say), and inflation has become one of the world's greatest enemies.

Naturally, automotive events and related stuff also had to adapt. Some traditional car shows are already dead and maybe even forgotten, others have changed locations in the hope of potential reinvention, and only the strongest survive in their traditional format – albeit updated for our new times. However, when placed under the spotlight, it's hard not to notice that unconventional automotive events are now becoming star attractions and veritable superheroes for the industry.

Just look at the hype surrounding the Las Vegas-based CES, the Goodwood Festival of Speed (even when it rains), and now also the Monterey Car Week. Once, it was a California-focused week in August when several car-related events were held around the city. Today, it's hard to get everywhere, considering the multitude of events - Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, all the auctions, the Jet Center Party, Legends of the Autobahn, and more.

Of course, the star attractions remain the same - The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance! That's when most automakers have revealed their eagerly anticipated new models and even a few surprises (Mustang GTD, baby!), all competing for the red carpet and its spotlight. Frankly, it's going to be hard to pick a favorite – I'll try that next week when it's time to return to the usual favorite car assessment of the past seven days.

But, first, a reminder or two. For starters, not every carmaker wanted to share the spotlight, so they staggered their launches during the first days of the Monterey Car Week or even ahead. No need to remind anyone about the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser (Toyota City, Japan), 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe (Santa Fe, New Mexico), or the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ (Times Square, New York City)? Any of them would have made a refined appearance during Monterey's string of events, but the companies wanted to make sure they were alone in capturing the audiences.

Additionally, Bugatti launched the Sur Mesure-prepared Chiron Super Sport dubbed 'Golden Era' before giving it to the customer at The Quail. But wait, as the exotic French automaker doubled the gold rush with a second bespoke introduction – Sur Mesure also worked on a W16 Mistral convertible and draped it in gold, possibly signaling the very end of the W16 era as only 99 units are pegged for production, all sold out. This gold Mistral might be the very last of the bunch, by the way.

Both feature a humongous level of exotism and collector-grade fanatism, right? Aston Martin then also tried to snatch the attention of everyone with the presentation of the DB12 Volante, the open-top version of the 'Super Tourer' that has the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine supplied by Mercedes-AMG to the tune of 680 ps/671 hp at 6,000 rpm and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque between 2,750 and 6,000 rpm, a slightly longer sprint time (3.6s versus 3.5s) to 60 mph (96 kph) than the coupe, and also the same 202-mph (325 kph) top speed.

Anybody would be lucky to own even an Aston Martin DB12 Volante, right? Well, as it turns out, a little Danish firm called Zenvo Automobiles stole the show, ran away with it, and threw it off the side of a cliff with the power of their all-new Aurora hybrid V12-powered hypercar. No need to discuss all the technical stuff all over again; suffices to say that it can rock up to a combined 1,850 horsepower! Only 200 units will be made, divided evenly between 'Agil' and 'Tur' versions – which are just short forms of agile and touring, of course.

However, if I had a choice, I would be more than practical and opt to go home in something that I can only describe as a full-size Toyota version of the legendary 'Tonka' toy truck. Few people in the West know, but there's also an auto show called GIIAS – the 30th Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show where the Japanese automaker just made real all of our Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz-fighting compact pickup truck dreams! Even better, the Rangga Concept will be produced soon at its home-away-from-home in Indonesia, offering many customization options.

Just by looking at it, I can only describe it as the Stout revival we always wanted (but won't get, as the model is destined for regional ASEAN markets), and it looks so much better than any vision of the recently rumored Corolla Cross pickup truck. The company hasn't let slip many details – at least not in English – but we can see it's a single cab affair that's featured with a highly modular design. On point, at the show, there was a trio of versions, including an ambulance package and a feisty-looking tow/platform truck version.

But the Japanese brand was also keen on stirring the soul and inflaming our imagination with regular workhorse, mobile catering/food/drink variants, plus retro, sports, firefighter, Ice Cream Truck, and camper versions! Just imagine this cute and utterly lovable design on the unibody compact underpinnings of the Corolla Cross Hybrid hitting the US market with the same level of customization – Toyota fans would probably think they died and reached cloud number nine directly! Oh well, too bad the Rangga Concept's upcoming production version is a forbidden fruit in the United States. Otherwise, I bet there would be some frightening nights for Blue Oval and Hyundai executives trying to figure out a solution to the new-found jeopardy…