The picture shows a truck silhouetted against the stars (and some guy in a ballcap and a hoodie). The caption doesn’t identify it. But we’re pretty sure we’re looking at the 2024 Toyota Tacoma – a wheels-up redesign of the best-selling midsize pickup.
Visitors to Toyota’s Instagram page today are greeted with a pretty picture of the silhouette of a pickup against an early-evening sky. The caption reads, “lost in the stars.”
Like a Smaller Version of the Boxy Tundra
The silhouette is boxy enough to convincingly be a 2023 Toyota Tundra shot from a strange low angle, so we may be wrong. But we think it has the proportions of a smaller pickup. The comments suggest that people who follow Toyota on Instagram think so, too. And the timing is right for Toyota to start teasing an all-new, redesigned Tacoma. It’s enough to start speculating, anyway.
If this is a new version of the Taco truck, it’s getting muscled up like the most recent Tundra redesign. The profile wears a more abrupt, blocky nose than the current Tacoma. A roof spoiler and a subtle kink to the top of the tailgate add to the effect – like apologies for the poor aerodynamics of the front end.
It would be a new look for the Tacoma, which has always been more distance runner than bodybuilder. But the update would mirror the look of the Tundra and give Toyota trucks a more consistent, familial look.
Hybrid Seems Likely
We expect Toyota to add some electrification to the next Tacoma but probably not go fully electric yet. When the company redesigned its larger truck last year, it added hybrid models.
The 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and electric motor combo found in the 2023 Lexus NX350 hybrid would do nicely and fit Toyota’s penchant for reusing proven components. It makes 239 horsepower in the Lexus – a nice bump from the 159 of the current base Tacoma engine.
If this is the new Tacoma, Toyota will probably introduce it through a long string of obscured teaser photos like this one, so there’s plenty of time for the details to trickle out.
