Images of what definitely appeared to be the next-gen Toyota Tacoma recently came out in a filing in Brazil. However, all of the pictures were in black, white, and shades of grey. The folks at Kolesa took them and rendered how the new pickup might look in the real world.
Since the filing is from Brazil, we can't be completely certain that this is exactly how the truck would look in the United States. We'd expect them to have a similar appearance, though.
Gallery: Next-Gen Toyota Tacoma Rendered Based On Patent Images
The new Tacoma has lots of styling similarities to the latest Tundra. Both have stylized slats beneath the headlights. The octagonal grille is much smaller on this truck, but they share a similar mesh design in the center. The bumper has integrated, rectangular fog lights.
Kolesa adds a skid plate beneath the nose. It also includes a scoop on the hood, which is not present on the images in the Brazilian filing.
The boxy fenders have a very similar design to what's on the Tundra. Along the lower portion of the doors, there's a creased section that keeps the truck from appearing too slab-sided.
Gallery: Toyota Tacoma Design Patent
There's only so much that designers can do at the back of a pickup while maintaining its utility. Here, there's a traditional tailgate and bracket-shaped taillights. Kolesa adds Tacoma branding to the back and an exhaust that exits just behind the passenger-side rear wheel.
It's worth noting that the design registration from Brazil is very similar to a Toyota pickup concept from December 2021 (pictured below). Other than the closed grille, the two models are nearly identical.
Gallery: Toyota Electric Pickup
The new Tacoma reportedly rides on the TGNA-F platform. It's also underneath the current Tundra, Land Cruiser, and Lexus LX.
Under the hood, the next-gen Tacoma will reportedly offer two engines. The base powerplant is allegedly a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. This mill makes 265 horsepower (198 kilowatts) and 309 pound-feet (419 Newton-meters) in the current Highlander.
As an upgrade, there would be a hybrid version of the 2.4-liter turbo engine. For reference, this setup makes 366 hp (272 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) in the Lexus RX 500h and 340 hp (253 kW) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) in the Toyota Crown.
We expect the new Tacoma to debut before the end of the year. It should be on sale for the 2024 model year.
For more discussion about the next-gen Tacoma, check out this episode of Rambling About Cars:
