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

[JLD94]

Another lurker trying to decide between this, new Canyon, and new Ranger. Someone had to put this together. Side by side with TRD Pro from Toyota's configurator. Will be interesting to see if ergonomics change in the cabin. The cabin and doors appear to be similar in size, which makes sense because it was reported to not grow in size.. but the shape and positioning is quite a bit different.

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.

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[Administrator]

Yup! Loved that EV concept and liking what we're seeing in the patent images too.

Tacoma EV Concept:

Yes, very similar! Comparison look at how this design compares to the Tacoma EV Concept previously shown by Toyota.

 

[evorunner]

love the look. was worried after seeing the tundra. in those photo's the door looks larger and taller compared to the current gen. I'm sure they improved the seating for sure with how much people complained about it. I just hope they didn't shrink the bed at all-that's what pickups are for anyways!

 

[Xtreme Thunder]

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.

 

[MPGunther]

Interesting subtle changes and tweaks. Looking forward to seeing the interior and what makes it tick

 

[VegasDust]

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.

 

[Nuke]

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.

Changed/improved, yes, but please not like the Tundra...

 

[MJE]

Another lurker trying to decide between this, new Canyon, and new Ranger. Someone had to put this together. Side by side with TRD Pro from Toyota's configurator. Will be interesting to see if ergonomics change in the cabin. The cabin and doors appear to be similar in size, which makes sense because it was reported to not grow in size.. but the shape and positioning is quite a bit different.

Thanks for putting this together! The door configuration seems to be the biggest change. Could it be a bit taller as well? Call me Taco curious also, investigating this, new Canyon & new Ranger. The midsize class seems to be an ideal blend of hopefully full size comfort while being a little more maneuverable in the city (even if everybody here just buys full size anyways). You can’t be shopping midsize & ignore the Toyota entry for sure.

 

[cgalloni]

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

 

[ozpall]

please no tiny back window please!!!

 

[JLD94]

please no tiny back window please!!!

I imagine it will be an option.... hopefully anyway..... I have never cared for them either

 

[Administrator]

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

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

 

[Trob20]

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

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

 

[Fast Target]

niiiiice

 

[Dr. Carmaker1]

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:

Notification of order deposit in secrecy ( Protocol: 870220051149 UF: WB Date: June 28, 2022 Time: 13:37 )

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:

Referring to petition 870220089830 of 09/30/2022, not known for lack of legal reasoning, in the form of article 219, item II of the LPI, considering that there is no legal provision for extending the request for confidentiality.

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.

2024 Tacoma design revealed in patent images! Looks just like the EV concept.... which in the back of my mind I figured was the design but this might be ours also.

Background:

The images come from a Design Patent Registration filed in Brazil. The document filed with the document indicates that it was published on January 24, 2023, by Brazil's Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial.

The authors of the design are listed as Matthew Niven Sperling, Scott Matthew Roller; Kengo Iwanaga, and Yeongmin Kong.

Kengo Iwanaga has been a Senior Lead Designer at Toyota's Calty Design Research center since November 2009 (see LinkedIn profile). Similarly, Yeongmin Kong has been a Senior Lead Designer at Calty Design Research since June 2018 (see LinkedIn profile). Matthew Sperling has also been involved in many of Toyota's patents.

UPDATE -- a look at how this design compares to the Tacoma EV Concept previously shown by Toyota.

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.

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