New Toyota Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks are in the works, and when Toyota decides to bring those new haulers out, the platform underpinning them will reportedly be the same. Eventually, that platform will be on Toyota’s trucks globally.
According to a report from Automotive News, the new global platform is internally called F1 and will be used on the next U.S.-spec Toyota Tacoma and Tundra.
The new platform is currently under development and could debut with new trucks as early as next year for 2021 models. The Tundra hasn’t been refreshed since 2014, and the Tacoma received a few minor updates for the 2020 model year, but still runs on basically the same setup as the 2015 version of the truck.
Currently, in San Antonio, the Tundra and Tacoma are built on the same line. Because they have to use different platforms for the different products, complexity is increased. Streamlining the platform would, in turn, simplify the assembly process.
Tacoma is also built in Mexico due to the popularity of the midsize truck; it’s the current sales leader here in the States but is facing new competition in the Ford Ranger and, soon, the Jeep Gladiator.
This platform would then expand globally, where you’d see it on trucks like the Toyota Hilux.
What could power this next round of pickups? We reported here at The Drive recently that hybridization could be in development, and Automotive News seems to also have that theory. Instead of doing a diesel or turbocharged engine, Toyota’s knowledge and experience with hybrids could be used to make the next generation of their trucks more efficient.
With the Ford F-150 going hybrid, it’s a pretty safe bet that other automakers will be looking in that direction. It’s only April of 2019 as this story is written, but 2020 will be here soon enough and we’ll have a much better idea of what the new Tacoma and Tundra will be like, along with the engines that power them.
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