With all the commotion surrounding the Monterey Car Week 2023 and its numerous connected events, it's not hard to forget that not every automaker was smitten by this ritzy area of California.
The Japanese automaker Toyota, for example, took August by storm from the very beginning with its world premiere of the 2024 Land Cruiser off-road-focused SUV. It shares a deep connection with the legendary series, but it's only the 'light duty' variant (known as Prado or Land Cruiser 250 in some regions), actually.
It also has a complex DNA with strands (such as the profile) taken from the 2024 Lexus GX 550 and the powertrain shared with the N400 fourth-generation 2024 Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup truck. Speaking of the latter, while we wait for Toyota to wrap up other 2024 model year presentations – like the one for GR Supra, presented on the eve of the Monterey weekend – let us remember that it's not yet on sale.
It did team up on the big screen with Blue Beetle. However, otherwise, it's still in the 'upcoming' section alongside the 2024 Land Cruiser, Corolla Nightshade family, GR Corolla Circuit Edition, and the GR86 Trueno on the company's online portal. Of course, even that long list of promises is not enough for some fans. And when dealing with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, the expectations are always running rampantly high.
But there's no need to take our word for granted – here's an eloquent example. Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has taken up the task of revealing a new Tacoma version - in CGI and dually form. As if the numerous grades and new Trailhunter or i-Force Max options were not enough, this pixel master went right up into the heavy-duty stratosphere.
You know, that place that is currently inhabited by the best-selling Ford F-Series (Super Duty), the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, the Ram Trucks HD, or the Nissan Titan XD. And in his crazy vision, the N400 Toyota Tacoma has what it takes to try and attack the established HD order of business. However, of course, he hasn't done it without a bit of help.
So, while the front and rear (never mind the dually wheels) is definitely of a broader 2024 Toyota Tacoma, the CGI expert's prowess had its limits as far as the profile is concerned, which obviously takes numerous cues and piggybacks on a Ford F-Series Super Duty (an F-450, most likely). But with this Taco version being much heavier, it should also upgrade the i-Force Max to 437-hp capabilities, at least, just like in the 2023 Tundra full-size pickup truck. So, do we give it our CGI vote or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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