Toyota will put Tundra, Tacoma trucks on a single platform, report says
The report claims this mandate will extend to all of Toyota's global pickup offerings.
The Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) has given even the stodgiest Toyota vehicles a fresh breath of life, and we've been impressed with what the automaker's put on that platform thus far. Now, it appears the automaker hopes to strike gold by applying this method to trucks , as well.
Toyota intends to move the next-generation Tundra and Tacoma onto a single platform, followed by all of Toyota's global pickups, Automotive News reported today, citing sources within the company. Toyota declined to comment to both AN and Roadshow.
Efficiency is a big reason for this decision, if the report turns out to be true. As AN's report notes, some Tacoma and Tundra models are built at the same plant in Texas, but there are 37 cab and powertrain variants between the two trucks. Moving both onto a single platform could boost efficiency by allowing more parts sharing, which can keep costs and complications lower.
In addition to potentially sharing a platform, AN says that the next-gen versions of Tacoma and Tundra will also carry "some form of electrification." Pairing the efficiency gains of a new platform with the latest materials-science tech of electrification could make for some very efficient vehicles, whether it's something simple like a 48-volt mild hybrid system or something more complex like a plug-in hybrid powertrain. If there's one arena where Toyota is no stranger, it's hybridization.
We might not have to wait long to see the fruits of this endeavor, either. AN's report states that the shared platform's development is "near completion," and it could arrive as early as the 2021 model year, which means debuts could come as early as next year. Toyota recently refreshed the 2020 Tacoma, though, and it's unclear how much mileage Toyota thinks it can get out of the current generation.
