Toyota has developed a truck that you won’t mind seeing chew marks on. It released a scaled-down version of the latest Tacoma that’s made out of rubber and designed specifically for dogs to play with. While it won’t go very far off-road, it inaugurates a feature that pups will love.
While TRD stands for “Toyota Racing Development” most of the time, it means “Tough and Rough Dogs” in this application — that’s the brand’s explanation, not ours. The TRD-branded toy weighs a little over a pound and measures around 7 inches long, 3 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall, so it might be a little overwhelming for a miniature Dachshund. It’s only available in one color called Solar Octane, which is also offered on the regular truck designed for humans, but dogs won’t mind because they don’t see most colors.
Toyota added a surprising amount of details to the toy. There’s a front end with “TOYOTA” lettering on the grille, headlights and a skid plate, as well as a “TACOMA” logo on the tailgate. It doesn’t have moving wheels, but there’s one important feature that you won’t find in the real Tacoma: a peanut butter bed for your dog. Filling the real truck’s bed with peanut butter is doable but far messier (not to mention costly).
Even if you don’t have a furry four-legged friend, the rubber Tacoma would make a cool paperweight. It’s too late to get one, however.
“It was a promotional toy — not actually for sale. The contest and giveaways are the only way to get the chew toy at the moment,” a Toyota spokesperson told Autoblog.
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