The year 2023 has its trends. Shoes with huge, brightly-colored soles. Pedro Pascal. And off-road-oriented trucks and SUVs.
Toyota has long been part of that game with its TRD Pro line of hyper-capable dirt roaders. But they are marketed as trucks that can spend an afternoon on the dunes. Now, the automaker wants to sell you a truck that can spend a weekend there.
Today, Toyota teased a new rugged truck variant. One meant for venturing off the beaten path and not returning for a long time.
We know little about the model for now. So consider this a placeholder. Toyota’s entire press release describing the 2024 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter is two sentences long:
“Developed from the ground up for those seeking extended adventures, Tacoma Trailhunter will build upon Toyota’s legendary off-road and overlanding credibility with purpose-built engineering and robust components. Stay tuned for more.”
It’s accompanied by a photo showing a glimpse of the truck’s rear bumper and tailgate. It features a logo plate from Australian 4×4 accessory shop ARB, hinting that Toyota partnered with an established builder of overland trucks for this one. The only other clues are a compass badge with a red north point and a bright red tow hook.
A second photo shows a headlight. The only unique aspect of it is a lighted Trailhunter logo — a cool touch, but no help on an actual trail. It sits above heavy black cladding of the sort used to protect off-roaders from scratches in the brush.
That’s all anyone knows for now. At last year’s SEMA aftermarket parts show, Toyota showed off a Tundra Trailhunter concept that featured a bed-mounted tent, low-profile roof rack, and a cargo-box refrigerator. We’ll have to wait for more details to find out if those made it into the smaller Tacoma.
But Toyota hints that a whole lineup of Trailhunters may be coming. A November press release promised, “Trailhunter vehicles will be highly capable, intentionally designed overlanding rigs.”
Vehicles. More must be on the way.
