2024 Tacoma Design Images Revealed in Patent! 📸 🕵🏻‍♂️

[Dr. Carmaker1]

Called it! They have to allow bigger tires to be competitive. They will likely never sell it with big tires, but 30% if their customers are modifying so they want to remain relevant I would assume.

Truck looks good, looks exactly like the EV that was shown last year. Imagine that...

This was actually first shown not even 2022, but 2021! In a capacity I wasn't supposed to be, I was saying too much about this truck in 2020-21 and someone at Toyota, started a drip feed of sorts to outgun me LOL. From the premature spy shots, more than 2 years before launch and this BEV Concept, someone at Toyota was a little way too eager to make it known what the plan was.

Toyota from the inside hasn't had any plans for a BEV Tacoma and this vehicle was apparently a medium of sorts to reveal the next generation midsize pickup, while "winking" in a sense at those who could figure it out and also help hype the presentation to the truck buyers.
Akio himself did that reveal, particularly at this point where he showed a video of driving footage.

This is the trim that was seen testing in AZ. I'm interested to see if this will force Toyota to move up the reveal, or if Toyota was aware this was going to happen and the reveal may be planned for something like the Super Bowl, which I think @Dr. Carmaker1 hinted at.

EDIT: After some brief research, the Tacoma isn't currently sold in Brazil. Only the Hilux. I wonder if the two models are merging.

I'm sorry, but I never mentioned the Super Bowl LOL. Toyota could sneak in a surprise, but I'm never going to know that. I was a Nissan shareholder via my parents years ago (until Ford job) and never did I expect that Nissan would reveal the 2016 Maxima in a Superbowl ad. It was so random and unexpected. I wish more automakers did that, as it was on absolute embargo up until that point in February 2015 and the design had been finalized already since 2012.

Nissan kept it under wraps for 2.5 years, despite taking it to dealer shows multiple times in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and in some shareholder meetings.

I believe the Headquarters Confidential in Plano is where it will be revealed, but that's just insider hearsay we pass around, but no one from Dallas will confirm it right now. This is info out of Michigan, which is more so technical than administrative, sales & marketing like Texas.

Whether or not that will also be the Hilux, is not something I can answer without speculating unfortunately. I have no direct inside line to overseas Toyota operations, plus the internal timeline claims that the Hilux and Fortuner won't be redesigned until CY2025 currently. Tacoma (Q1 2024) and 4Runner (Q3 2024) precede them in reality. I'm not 100% on that Hilux merge yet, but I did first put out that theory back in late 2019 on a Lexus forum among other industry observers, who also work in the industry (they're in the US Southeast & also Canada). Some of us disagreed strongly, while some others there shared my insight. That made it to the news in February 2020, as an insider to Motor1 because of my knowledge of TNGA-F deeply and some whispers I heard back in late 2019.

Interesting to see for sure. I am good with the current size as long as the cabin comfort/spacing gets fixed. The current truck dates back to 2005 ....here 20 years later people are using them even more as people movers so hopefully the cabin reflects that.

When this debuted at Chicago on February 4th of 2004, I was immediately smitten. And even more when these began to appear in the summer, upon full press release..

Never got one like that nor a TRD Off-Road AC V6 4x4 6MT, but I convinced my mom 1 1/2 years later to get a 2006 TRD Sport V6 DCLB 4x4 5AT for her new pharmacy instead of a base RCSB 4x2 4AT she had been eyeing initially. Wasn't as fun with the 5AT and the long bed.

Interesting.

I don’t dislike it, but very familiar which could be viewed to some as potentially already stale or old as this patent (Brazil) shares similar attributes to existing Tacoma (NA). Will see how this plays out.

Perhaps there will be further NA design specific aesthetic that won’t translate to ROW markets and vise-versa. Something to also consider. Up until now, the Hilux and Tacoma haven’t shared sheetmetal. Maybe that changes, maybe not. Definitely evolutionary, as expected, if this translates to what NA will receive for Tacoma.

Hopefully 4th Gen addresses the negative nuances that have been around since inception of 2nd Gen that got carried over to 3rd Gen. I’m not impressed with my 2019 Tacoma from QDR standpoint with only 33,xxx miles.

I had proposed the idea back in 2019 since both would migrate to TNGA-F, Toyota would just manufacture the same body in different factories around the world, as seen with the Venza/Harrier and some other nameplates. If Toyota does this, I would have shockingly had my finger on the money without full insight. That right there is long shot in the dark for me.

The Tundra patent filing might just be securing it, in case it might be sold there down the road. This, this right here just me the Hilux as well. The Hilux has been increasing the luxury quotient over the years and a Toyota insider mentioned to me, that they feel it's becoming too expensive for many developing markets and there's pressure to bring something under it to market, while elevating fully to Tacoma status.

Same as a lot of you guys said already, I can't wait to see the interior. I really hope it's been modernized like the Tundra was on its refresh.

Calling that new Tundra a refresh like you'd call a midcycle update, is an understatement. They totally redid everything from scratch, with like only 0.5% carrying over. The interior improves material quality significantly, as does the 4Runner due 7 months after this.

Makes me doubt that this came from a Brazilian website. They don’t sell the Tacoma In Brazil, they sell the hilux so this might be the hilux and not the tacoma. Why the Brazilian patent website would have the Tacoma rendering when they don’t sell that vehicle there. This is most likely the Hilux. Unless toyota plans to incorporate both models into 1 and just name them differently

This is proof. That even aside, this is too sophisticated to make up and get all the right angles. I really don't understand the rampant skepticism on this subject matter. From the years of people being so insistent I was lying or BSing when I pointed that this was due for MY 2023 or MY 2024, going back as far as January 2019. Each year I get proven correct in most instances, save Toyota not offering the V35A-FTS and keeping the 2GR and 2TR.

These are absolutely legitimate, as patent image leaks are not a unique phenomenon nor fictious. They are CAD image files, which Toyota started using in the early 90s on prototype mid-90s models instead of actual photographs of styling mockups. I could show many 1980s and 1990s Toyota design patents, that show this gradual change and reflect the vehicle above.

I remember 1987 photos of the second gen 4Runner, showing multiple alternate proposals for that and the 1989 Pickup as well from 1986-87. These are same images from the primary Japanese filing, which are all from 2021.

As for the Hilux, this could easily be that vehicle too, but it is definitely Tacoma DNA inside-out.

We've verified the Brazilian filing - it was registered here. Notwithstanding your point about Tacoma not currently being sold there, of course.

Thank you for standing strong on this, as this is becoming a problem within itself outside of Tacoma 4G and namely on social media and some on Reddit, but we can't really help those folks.

I believe TFL discovered that Toyota also patented the Tundra in Brazil even though it has never been sold there. Toyota is either trying to prevent copy-cats, or keep the door open to selling the models there possibly as the Hilux

I don't like to be wrong in the end, so I'm careful with what I say publicly. Speculating in an informed capacity, I think that Toyota might indeed have followed through with merging the nameplates. I don't see Brazilian filings for the current generation Tacoma in 2014 nor 2015 (year of launch), but I do see them on USPTO database for the 2020 model, which was required to protect the styling changes for the MMC. I haven't gone back as 2014, when Toyota likely would've filed patent and cross-referenced the named inventors in the Brazilian database.

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[JLD94]

I can see what happened here with the patent.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha filed for design registration on this design, which from what I can recall, was said to me have been development 5 years under the 920B Program in mostly Toyota Technical Center Ann Arbor. CALTY worked on this truck's design until late 2020, when it reached final phases of approval and was sent to engineering for design cubing, to complete design freeze ahead of May of 2021 when prototype mule development first began.

Sometime between design freeze in the spring of 2021 and the BEV Concept being shown, it is rumored Akio Toyoda in the fall of 2021, was giddy to show off this new truck. The segment expected nothing new from Toyota until 2026ish and this played out in negative discourse among owners online, where I can tell sometimes Toyota USA marketing people on multiple mediums were observing cynical commentary chiding Toyota for not doing much to keep the Tacoma fresh. I lowkey started seeing spokespeople point towards the next Taco, plus more. So what better way to shut them up, than with permitting public rounds of test mules out in the open for once for the public and camera guys to snap? Let 'em know a new Taco is finally coming! A bold move, atypical of Toyota at that stage. (helped me a lot as someone telling people it was coming for 2024 and they didn't believe me until these appeared)

As well as preparing a 1:1 fullsize resin model of the final production design, to be showcased instead as a future BEV, without calling too much attention to it? Well, there ya go.

Typically Toyota will hide future vehicles from public or publicly visible testing, even if at the mule stage, except to allow test engineers more field testing flexibility and most importantly, HYPE. Unlike other models, Toyota has been hinting at this truck in some form since early 2019, but much of the public has not been catching on. I've been trying to bridge that gap and clue people in, like I did the Ranger and Bronco once, since media was rather obtuse and never even bothered.

Anyway, the day before this presentation on December 14, 2021, where CEO Akio Toyoda mysteriously revealed this peculiarly production specification pickup amongst phantom BEV proposals, Toyota lawyers in Tokyo had already filed for design patent registration at the Japan Patent Office, under filing number 2021-027375 for an ornamental design or vehicle replica, for applicant Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha on December 13, 2021, credited to the listed designers as inventors of it.

CAD Intellectual Property Image from Toyota utilized by Tokyo attorneys to file patent on December 13, 2021.

This design is a synthesis of Toyota CALTY personnel out of both Ann Arbor and Newport Beach who designed this truck between 2018 and December of 2020 in both junior, senior, and administrative capacities under the 920B Program, plus more months to aid engineering in cubing

These patent images are the SAME exact images in the Japanese Design Patent filing dated 12/13/2021. Knowing the patent filing process, these are probably CAD image files processed in November of 2021 and are reflective of the production vehicle, not the BEV concept NOR random PSes like many skeptics I have been seeing here and elsewhere claim, without proof to even discredit the validity of the images.

Here's my proof, to add to @administrator's own submissions.

What happened here is, as to why you saw these images this past week, is that the Brazil patent office made a huge gaffe and will spurn Toyota management greatly, considering how important this vehicle is.

A best seller in its class, although they already revealed it unofficially in some form, the idea here was absolutely not show anything about this truck until it gets revealed in May* (or early June).

After filing patent in Tokyo, Japan on December 13, 2021, Toyota again filed patent in multiple global patent offices, including the USPTO (United States Patent Office) in Washington D.C., on or around June 10, 2022, as done here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Acting on Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha's behalf as hired counsel and their Brasil legal representative, Clarke Modet handled this process of filing the patent with the national office locally.

On June 28, 2022, this was recognized by the Brazil patent office with this given statement by them in Brazilian Portuguese, translated into U.S. English:



This meant the patent will not be publicized, as requested by the attorney and their client, to ensure this corporate design would not be prematurely revealed against Toyota's wishes.

On September 30, 2022, Clarke Modet's law firm in Rio de Janeiro filed a new petition at Toyota's request in Toyota-shi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, to request an extension for confidentiality or what we call "deferment" from publication, to ensure that the design in the patent is only allowed to become public at a MUCH later date. This is typically once the vehicle design has been in showrooms for MONTHS or the very earliest, closer to when production should start, at a point it is likely no longer deeply held corporate secret.

Unfortunately the Brazil patent office took their merry, merry time to respond--3.5 months to be exact. On January 17, 2023, they finally responded with this, translated from Brazilian Portuguese:



What likely happened here is, Mr. Modet's office didn't pick up on this new correspondence (maybe never notified) or failed to secure an injunction in time against this confidentiality petition rejection by the patent office, so exactly within 7 days to that date on January 24, 2023, they released the design patent for publication and @JLD94 caught it. I can bet that although I don't have the USPTO filing number from June 2022, they honored Toyota's US counsel's request and extended the confidentiality of their US patent for this truck design, so as to ensure the U.S. patent would NOT prematurely expose it against Toyota's wishes.

Brazil seems to be the only entity who has exposed the 2024 Toyota Tacoma, unlike many other global patent offices who didn't violate Toyota's confidentiality so carelessly. Toyota should take action against that office and also fire Clarke Modet as their entrusted counsel, for not being on top of this sooner.



Great, great work! A million thanks for your sharp eyes. I am finding that the website is not getting rightful credit for this rare discovery and this stupid website, Motor1, who were the first to hear directly from me (unnamed source), it would be a 2024 model back in February 2020. Although they took me out of context quite a bit on other Lexus and Toyota models, they were the first news outlet to report on the 4th generation correctly thanks to my information. They're persona non grata to me now 3 years later.

Thanks for the Kodo's but all I did was find a link showing the pictures, someone else did the investigative work and fancied up my post

 

[Dr. Carmaker1]

Thanks for the Kodo's but all I did was find a link showing the pictures, someone else did the investigative work and fancied up my post

I see, that makes more sense. Motor1 got lucky I guess.

 

[lappos]

For sure TRD version right there.

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