Toyota has always been a brand associated with pickups, so it is natural for the Japanese automaker to consider new products featuring a rear bed. The success of the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz in the compact pickup segment has prompted Toyota to evaluate the possibility of a new unibody pickup based on the TNGA platform.
Two high-ranked officials from Toyota Motor North America told Motortrend that the company is actively looking into the compact pickup segment. More specifically, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America Bob Carter said: “One of the spaces we’re looking at – that won’t be short-term – is where the compact pickup truck is going. You have Santa Cruz and Maverick on the market, and it will be interesting to see Scout. Today, we have the market really well covered with Tacoma, but a compact pickup could be a possibility and something we continue to look at.”
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Cooper Ericksen, group vice president of product planning and strategy, revealed more information about the future model: “If there’s a customer that needs a rugged, smaller body-on-frame vehicle, we can consider that, but if it’s more for urban use and less extreme off-road, then it would make more sense to use the TNGA unibody platform.”
Currently, Toyota only offers ladder-frame pickups around the world, such as the HiLux, the immortal Land Cruiser 70, and of course the Tacoma and Tundra. However, a TNGA-based vehicle could be a valuable addition to the range, benefiting from lower development costs due to shared underpinnings with the RAV4 and the Highlander. Such a model would allow Toyota to reach other types of customers who are interested in a smaller pickup with car-like comfort and features, rugged styling, hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains and an affordable price.
Carter suggested that Toyota might have an interesting announcement in June 2023, which might have to do with the TNGA-based pickup. This could mean we could see a new model for the US market as early as 2024 or 2025. Mind you, Toyota is gearing up for a new generation of the Tacoma, possibly coming in 2023 based on the TNGA-F body-on-frame architecture that is already underpinning the Land Cruiser. The new Tacoma range will most likely include an EV, which was previewed by a concept car last year.
