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Toyota announces new 2016 Tacoma to be revealed at Detroit auto show in January

The long wait to see the next Tacoma will soon be over.
2016 Toyota Tacoma

At a Toyota event today the company’s marketing team told members of the press that the new Tacoma will be shown to the public in just weeks. It will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show (Formally called the North American International Auto Show). The reveal will take place following the first full month of sales for the all-new 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. This is not a coincidence.

Tacoma Update Needed
Having had the smaller than full-size truck market to share with only Nissan for the past few years, Toyota had little reason to update its popular Tacoma. Although truck fanatics turn up their noses at the Tacoma and all Toyota trucks for that matter, the Tacoma came within a few dozen vehicles of outselling the entire Cadillac brand in November. The truck is a huge success for Toyota and an important contributor to Toyota’s industry-leading profitability. A successful Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon could put a dent in the Tacoma if Toyota does not update the truck.

Speculation On Tacoma
Many, including this writer, have assumed that the new Tacoma would have to be dramatically more modern and fuel efficient to compete with the Colorado which offers a powerful V6 that is more fuel efficient than Toyota’s 4-cyliner truck and more powerful than Toyota’s V6. That may not necessarily be true. Toyota could focus on updates to the truck that satisfy its core group of owners and fans and still compete in the showroom even if it doesn’t on a specification sheet.

In any case, the speculation will be over soon. The Detroit auto show opens to the press January 12th. The public show opens January 17th.

Related Stories:
Toyota Tacoma's two-step plan to match Chevy's 2015 Colorado
2015 Toyota Tacoma sales up first month of new Chevy Colorado GMC Canyon sales
2015 Ford F-150 loses to Chevy Colorado in Truck of the Year

Automotive News
Pickup Trucks
Toyota

Comments

Topher FJ (not verified)    December 4, 2014 - 3:47PM

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It is very exciting to see what is considered to be the most dependable fun loving mid sized truck in the US to be updated, especially considering the longevity of the current model/powertrain. I'm glad to hear they will not castrate the Taco to "match" the GM twins however it will be tough to bridge the gap between refinement and simplicity (which is what we love about our 4.0 tough trucks). With the baby Duramax around the corner one can only hope Yota will combat with a diesel of their own... but either way, who is ready to put $35k-$40k down on a diesel mid-sized (I'd say "right sized") truck especially when diesel is estimated to be well over $1/gallon in most areas for the next year? But, I do agree, no matter what the price is for diesel right now, when given the option I want the torque, longevity, MPG, and resale value of a diesel in my new truck, even if it does take 4-5 years to match the monetary amount of that of a gasoline option... Logical? No, Testosterone override? Yes.

Adam Shaw (not verified)    December 4, 2014 - 5:41PM

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Even 40k for a mid size diesel isn't bad considering I just looked at that cheesy plastic undersized tire Colorado that cost $38,000 and it still wasn't fully loaded!!!! And for those looking for 30mpg trucks, you are looking for the wrong vehicle! What made Tacos so loved was the fact that they were NOT huge trucks, not as much as slightly better fuel economy. The sooner manufactures realize that and update 10+ year old platforms the better.

Robert C (not verified)    December 5, 2014 - 7:20PM

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I won't buy GM junk. Had a business and owned them and won't do it again. Now I like the way the new Colorado looks but I know I would be buying poor quality and the mileage numbers are not there yet.
Ram and Dodge is eating everyone's lunch with ECO and Penstar bolted up to the 8 speed.
One would believe all of these manufacturers would catch on. Gas is making lower lows but not forever. one, two, three years from now it will be high again.

Jason Lancaster (not verified)    December 8, 2014 - 9:35AM

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The 2016 Tacoma is all but certain to get the turbo-4 found in the Lexus NX200t. It was supposed to come out about a year ago, but Toyota walked it back for reasons that aren't clear to me.

Otherwise, I expect mostly cosmetic changes. The Tacoma stands up well to the Colorado in terms of function, so a new 4-banger engine that's more fuel efficient will got a long ways towards a favorable comparison. The truck needs an interior update badly, however, and we can count on that as well as a freshening of the truck's look.

What I don't expect is a major change to the platform, which is a shame. Fundamentally, the problem is cost. Toyota can't afford to put big money into this vehicle, as the profit picture for these mid-size trucks isn't too pretty. Unlike GM - which can leverage the Colorado/Canyon architecture globally - the Tacoma is a unique platform separate from both the Hilux and the Tundra. There has been talk of merging the Tacoma/Hilux/Tundra platform, but I think that's been shelved until the end of the decade. Maybe once Toyota has a chance to perfect their process for "global" modular platforms, that will be revisited.

SO, new interior, new engine, but otherwise more of the same...and more disappointment for Toyota truck fans like me.