Toyota Confirms Manual for 2024 Tacoma Pickup
While some may be perturbed by the premise that Toyota is adding complexity to the next-generation Tacoma via hybridization, the current model has been around since 2015 and is arguably due for an update. To pave the way for the new truck, the manufacturer recently sought to assuage fears that there will be no manual option by issuing a press release vowing be-clutched variants would remain available.
“Legends are more than automatic; they always come in clutch,” reads the presser. “The all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma, available with a six-speed manual transmission.”
Toyota has released a series of teasers ahead of the truck’s formal debut. Some of these, like news that it would be a hybrid, yielded mixed reactions. But the rest seem to be broadly appreciated.
Nobody could possibly be upset by the concept of removable speakers (unless they sound bad) and a full complement of disc brakes (at least on the Tacoma TRD Pro), which are things drivers have been clamoring for. But it’s not abundantly clear what percentage of truck buyers are going to be delighted to learn that Toyota is keeping the manual around.
In 2019, Toyota stated that around 5 percent of all Tacoma pickups were purchased with a clutch pedal. Considering manual transmission take rates have been on the decline for years, that makes it seem as if there’s not much demand. However, most people I know that have attempted to buy stick-shift trucks have found themselves placed on waiting lists until their desired model can arrive.
Formally denoted as “standard,” manual transmission vehicles are now the exception rather than the rule. But this may be influenced by manufacturers not wanting to bother furnishing a lot of examples when they don’t have to.
As for the Tacoma, odds are good that the upcoming six-speed will be little more than an updated version of the RC62F that’s in the current model. But all should be revealed over the summer when the next-generation is anticipated to debut.
[Image: Toyota]
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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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I was going to scoff at this business decision, but then I saw that with Tacoma volume over 200k annually in the US alone, that means the manual is in the 10-12k range.
If it's an existing unit with paid-off tooling, then offering it makes sense to keep that 5% of buyers in the Toyota fold.
Not sure I'd want it with a hybrid, though. The gas-electric transitions are never super smooth, and (to me) the addition of clutch action wouldn't add up to a smooth driving vehicle.
This is the company that dug deep into the BMW parts bin to offer a manual supra.