Toyota has again teased its next-generation Tacoma, the American cousin to the HiLux, and confirmed it be available with a hybrid powertrain.
This latest teaser image, showing the tailgate of the TRD Pro variant, follows a previous teaser image that revealed the next-generation Tacoma’s muscular and bluff silhouette.
In the lower right-hand corner of the tailgate in the latest teaser image is an i-Force Max badge, signifying the Tacoma will be available with a hybrid powertrain like the larger Tundra and Sequoia.
Tundra and Sequoia variants with the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain are powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine with a motor generator and a 288V nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Total system outputs are 326kW of power and 790Nm of torque.
It’s unclear if the Tacoma’s i-Force Max hybrid powertrain will be tuned to produce less power, because the current model’s non-hybrid 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine produces 207kW and 359Nm.
Toyota has also rolled out a new 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain called the Hybrid Max, which in the Kluger-based Grand Highlander pumps out 270kW of power and 542Nm of torque.
According to US reports, the next-generation Tacoma will also be available with a longitudinally mounted version of the Kluger’s 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In the Kluger this engine produces 198kW and 420Nm and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The new Tacoma will reportedly be based on the company’s TNGA-F body-on-frame architecture, which currently underpins the Tundra and Sequoia, as well as the LandCruiser 300 Series.
The same architecture will reportedly be used by the next HiLux and LandCruiser Prado.
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Previous Tacoma teaser
Once this next-generation Tacoma is revealed it will mark the first time the pickup has received a major update in almost a decade. The current-generation model was unveiled in 2015 and went into production in 2016.
Toyota has teased an electric version of the Tacoma with an electric pickup truck concept shown in December 2021 among a large array of electric concepts from Toyota and Lexus.
The latest Toyota HiLux has been styled to look similar to the North American Tacoma, which has never been offered in Australia, and it seems likely the next-generation model will follow suit.
The current HiLux was launched locally in 2015 and is due for a new generation within the next few years.
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Current Tacoma -
BEV pickup concept
Toyota’s local division recently launched the tweaked HiLux Rogue variant, and plans for the range-topping HiLux GR Sport to start arriving in the second half of this year.
The carmaker also recently showed off a the HiLux Revo BEV concept in Thailand which points toward how an electric HiLux might look.
Once the new Tacoma is launched, it will likely be followed by a new version of the 4Runner SUV which shares its body-on-frame underpinnings. Toyota offers this model in North America instead of the LandCruiser Prado.
