Mysterious Toyota TRD Pro Off-Roader Debuts Thursday
The Chicago Auto Show is less a trade event for showcasing new models and more of an industry dumping ground for special editions and appearance packages. Toyota is already bringing one of those to the party with the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition, but that’s not all it plans to unload from its trailer.
With the event just hours away, Toyota felt compelled to issue a last-minute teaser of an unidentified TRD Pro model. However, we’re disinclined to believe it’s destined for the updated Tacoma display.
First of all, Toyota chooses to describe the mystery vehicle as “a new TRD Pro off-road beast.” Unless the manufacturer’s marketing team is playing fast and loose with its terminology, “new” disqualifies the Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner — all of which already have TRD Pro variants.
Since the trim typically denotes body-on-frame vehicles, that leaves us with the ancient Sequoia as the only applicable candidate — unless Toyota throws us a curveball with a second Land Cruiser.
However, there’s a chance the new TRD could be a unibody. While Toyota’s announcement was beyond brief, it did say this new model will lead the charge for a host of updates across the entire TRD Pro lineup. That could be indicative of a change in strategy, with unibody models entering the fold, or simply be an announcement that TRD fans will enjoy a more robust parts catalog or options list next year.
The photograph and accompanying video aren’t much help. Toyota cleverly decided to keep every image of the upcoming TRD Pro cropped so closely that it could be just about anything. Speculate all you can now, as we’ll have our answer by Thursday evening.
[Image: Toyota]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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They updated their upcoming vehicles page already. https://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/sequoiaTRD/
It's about time that Toyota offered the marvelous TRD package on the Sequoia. I've been longing to buy one since they came out.
It's about time that Toyota offered the marvelous TRD package on the Sequoia. I've been longing to buy one since they came out.
How about updating the GD vehicles? This is getting as bad as toward the end of a generation of Mustangs when Ford starts spitting out special editions like a hockey player shedding teeth.