General Motors put the leader in the midsize truck segment – Toyota – on notice when it introduced it’s two entries into the segment earlier this year, but Toyota responded by reminding the competition that they’re leader of the pack with the new 2016 Tacoma introduced today in Detroit.
Not only did the automaker reassert itself as the segment leader, it’s creating some more buzz that might bring some additional players into the midsize arena. However, until then, the maker is content to create a truck to meet the needs of active drivers on a variety of tamed and untamed surfaces, the suspension was fine-tuned to help deliver a smoother on-road ride, while making it even more capable off-road.
The new Tacoma will be powered by a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and an all-new, segment-first 3.5-liter Atkinson cycle V6 equipped with Toyota’s D-4S technology, featuring both direct and port fuel injection.
Both engines will be paired to a new six-speed automatic transmission with electronic shift delivering quick and easy shifting. The V6 can also be mated to a new six-speed manual transmission. The new powertrain makes the Tacoma more powerful and fuel efficient than ever before.
The front end was specifically designed to be aggressive with its bold upper grille and a taller, more muscular hood. Mounted high above the clamp-shaped bumper sits slim, high technology headlights that feature projection beam lamps with available LED Daytime Running Lights.
The new 2016 Tacoma was primarily developed by the Toyota engineering team at Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Starting with the frame, they added high strength steel to enhance rigidity and overall strength. Ultra-high strength steel was integrated into the body shell using a new hot stamping process that reduces weight.
Toyota doesn’t expect the demand for mid-sized truck segment to grow dramatically, but the new Tacoma introduced at the North American International Auto Show will help keep a tight grip on the segment.
(Toyota reveals new Tacoma. For more, Click Here.)
Bill Fay, Toyota Motor sales vice president, said the new generation Tacoma will definitely create more excitement in a segment that until recently has been in steadily decline. Product planners at Chrysler, Ford and even Korean carmakers have been wary of entering the segment because they are uncertain about its growth potential.
Toyota now has two-thirds of the market, which is less than 200,000 units. The new Tacoma and the new trucks from GM could boost sales to roughly 300,000 units, which is still only a fraction of the full-size pick up market.
(Click Here for details about the Ram Rebel looking for off-road adventure.)
“It’s a nice niche for us,” Fay said.
Fay noted the truck attracts buyers focused on recreation and that more than 45% actually drive their Tacomas off road, he noted. The 2015 Tacoma has been rebuilt from the inside and out with an all-new powertrain and enhanced suspension tuning to account for that variety of uses.
(To see when a truck is not just a truck, Click Here.)
“For the past 50 years adventure-seeking Americans have relied on Toyota trucks to take them places, on and off-road,” noted Fay.
