Next-Generation Toyota Tacoma Coming to Detroit Auto Show

The auto industry is so predictable sometimes. The 2014 LA Auto Show is barely out the door and we’re already getting news for the next major event in NA – the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January. But, hey, we’re not complaining! Today we learned that Toyota’s first major premiere at the NAIAS will be the next-gen Toyota Tacoma.

The current generation of the Toyota Tacoma has been on the market since 2004. So, it will be a full 11 years-old, which is veritably ancient in the automotive world. However, the first-generation lasted for nine years, so it seems that the Japanese automaker knows exactly how often they want to update their small pickup truck.

There’s no doubt that the current Tacoma needs an update, though. Even though it still leads the segment with a 66% market share, its growth has substantially slowed over the past few years to a 4.7% loss in 2014, although segment-wide sales aren’t much better. What’s more, Toyota isn’t just introducing a new Taco’ model; they’re also ramping up production of the pickup at their Baja California, Mexico manufacturing plant.

Toyota’s Senior VP of US Sales, Bob Carter, offered an explanation for the manufacturing increase to AN. He said that Toyota dealers all over the country have been requesting more of their small pickups, which leads him to believe that there is more to the market than the current segment sales would imply. He also believes that the cornucopia of new competitors coming to the niche in the form of the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado, along with a new Honda Ridgeline planned for next year, only spell success for their investment and the segment overall.

Unfortunately, with all this talk of the small pickup market and the state of the current Tacoma, Toyota didn’t say very much about the next-generation model. All we know is that it will be a very, very big overhaul. And we know that production of the Tacoma is set to increase in April 2015, so that’s probably about when the new model will hit dealership floors.

Along with the Toyota Tacoma announcement, executives also revealed that Lexus will bring two new performance models to the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Our guess is that at least one of them will be a second iteration of the Lexus LF-C2 Concept we saw last month, but Carter was adamantly silent on any possible hints.