Toyota will be
presenting a refreshed version of its Tacoma pickup truck at the Chicago Auto
Show February 7, at 11am Eastern time. The shadowy teaser
accompanying the announcement shows some light changes to the front end with
new headlamp units and a wider grille with a narrower frame, but that’s about
it.
While that’s not
much to go on, as Toyota did not disclose any further information, it’s evident
that the 2020 Tacoma builds upon the last redesign done four years ago for the
2016MY, so don’t expect any ground changing exterior alterations. Some interior
updates are likely to be served too, bringing the Tacoma’s technology features
more in line with Toyota’s latest products.
A more important
aspect of the introduction of the 2020 Tacoma will be the ramp up of production
at the San Antonio facility, as Toyota explained in its three-plant strategy.
Last year, the
Tacoma was the fourth most popular pickup truck in America with an 8.3 percent
stake in the overall market, trailing only the ‘Big 3’ – Ford’s F series,
Chevrolet’s Silverado and Ram. What’s more impressive, though, is that not only
did it beat the larger GMC Sierra, but also the combined sales of GM’s direct
rivals, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, clutching a 47 percent share in the growing
mid-size pickup market.
