Toyota redesigns bestselling Tacoma pickup amid higher midsize pageant

Toyota Motor is counting at the fourth era of its Tacoma truck, together with a brand new “Trailhunter” type, to assist handle its management within the rising US midsize pickup marketplace.

The Tacoma has led the midsize pickup section in gross sales for almost twenty years, as competition reminiscent of Ford, Jeep and Chevrolet have come, long past and returned to the section. Midsize pickup vehicles constitute 4.4% of general US car gross sales in 2022, in step with auto analysis company Edmunds.

,[Tacoma] is the no. 1 promoting car within the section … our aim is for that to stay,” Joseph Moses, Toyota North America general manager of trucks and SUVs, told CNBC. “We actually consider we have were given that during position with this new type.”

Toyota has commanded a more or less 40% percentage of the American midsize pickup truck section since 2019 when Ford Motor and Jeep reentered the marketplace, in step with Edmunds. That’s down from a greater than 60% marketplace percentage a decade in the past — regardless of Tacoma gross sales that surged more or less 150% since then — as rival automakers have launched new vehicles.

Trailing Toyota is General Motors, which sells the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. Edmunds studies the Detroit automaker’s percentage of the USA midsize pickup section final yr used to be about 19%, adopted by way of Stellantis‘ Jeep Gladiator at 12.8% and the Nissan Frontier at 12.5%

The 2024 Tacoma, which Toyota printed early Friday, options new external and internal designs along with upgraded protection, comfort and function applied sciences. It will be offering two turbocharged 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine choices, together with an “i-FORCE MAX” hybrid type that produces 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque.

The Tacoma unveiling comes after Ford showcased its new ranger for the USA marketplace and GM releases its next-gen Colorado and Canyon fashions, All the ones vehicles function pricier off-road or efficiency fashions.

The new Tacoma “Trailhunter” type is a rugged-looking truck focused at fans of overlanding — a mix of off-roading and tenting that may use the mattress or most sensible of the car to sleep. The Japanese automaker partnered with Australian-based overlanding corporate ARB to outfit the car.

Automakers have been increasing their off-road car choices so that you can spice up income on their vehicles and SUVs with some distance much less funding than a brand new car. Toyota additionally provides “TRD” fashions that come with off-road features or aesthetics.

Unlike a number of of its competition, Toyota will proceed to provide a two-door model of the Tacoma and be offering two other mattress lengths. Most competition have shifted to providing most effective four-door midsize pickups with one mattress solution to cut back complexity. Toyota is also providing the truck with a handbook transmission — a rarity in as of late’s car trade.

Tacoma is to be had in SR, SR5, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off Road, Limited, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter. Moses mentioned it is a part of the automaker’s “a Tacoma for everyone” technique.

“Because we sell so many, we really tried to have that broad diversified mix — at the lower end for those that just need a truck to get going all the way up to the high end for those that really want to do some fun stuff with it,” Moses mentioned.

Pricing for the 2024 Tacoma will probably be introduced nearer to the car arriving at US dealerships later this yr. Current beginning costs vary from about $28,250 to almost $48,000, relying at the type. The reasonable transaction worth for the Tacoma is set $41,000, in step with Moses.