In an announcement that it revealed yesterday, Toyota has confirmed that it will be showcasing an all new version of its venerable Tacoma pickup truck at the Chicago Auto Show in February. The unveiling of the all new Tacoma comes at a key time in the model’s history, especially considering that the once dominant king of the mid-size truck segment now faces an all new field of contenders that aim to steal its sales throne from its wheel arches.
Admittably, Toyota’s announcement lacks key details, but the company has released a lone darkened teaser image that showcases the front end of the all new Tacoma that is set against a sillouhetted mountain backdrop at dusk. The apperance of the all new Tacoma comes at a time when the best selling mid-size pickup truck on the market is facing a two pronged assault from both the recently unveiled Ford Ranger, as well as the Jeep Gladiator. With its last update taking place in 2016, the Tacoma is in danger of falling behind these new rivals, and perhaps losing its spot at the top of the sales charts due to its stale design elements, as well as its dated infotainment technology.
So what will the 2020 Tacoma bring to the table for mid-size pickup truck buyers? For starters, we expect a sublte evolution of its functional design language, with the teaser image showcasing redesigned rectangular headlights, and the four prominent ridge lines running along the roof appear to have been axed which helps give the truck a smoother look than before. The lone element that appears to be largely unchanged is the front grille which appears to retain the bulk of its basic shape, albeit with the insert darkened. We also look forward to seeing more of what’s in store for the interior of the 2020 Tacoma with higher quality materials, a revamped infotainment system, and better ergonomics on our wish list of improvements. Toyota also possibly teased a clue of what could be in store for this generation of Tacoma, with the Japanese car giant revealing that the new rig “storms” into the Windy City. It could be a sly hint that an all new performance model is in store that would slot alongside the rugged TRD Pro model in the Tacoma family.
Look for more teaser shots to be revealed ahead of the truck’s unveiling February 7th at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show. We will be on the ground at the show, and we look forward to hearing exactly what is in store for Tacoma buyers as well as a tentative launch date for arguably the most important iteration of Tacoma that has ever been produced.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.