If you're on the hunt for a new Toyota Tacoma in New Hampton, NY, you may soon be able to set your sights on our dealer showroom here at Johnstons Toyota. The new 2018 Toyota Tacoma may be arriving late this year or early next year for we off-road aficionados, and if swirling rumors turn out to be on point, there ought to be plenty to which to look forward.
But the juicy details begin with a Sept. 14, 2016 story, then fresh off the Toyota presses out of Plano, TX. As our automaker watched the timely demand for trucks growing at a rapid rate, it decided to increase production of its flagship Tacoma by more than 60,000 annually at its Baja California, Mexico facility to supplement its San Antonio plant. That would bring Toyota's inventory plans to a total of approximately 160,000 units by late 2017, and into early 2018.
Soon after, a 2017 Chicago Auto Show press release by Bill Fay, Toyota Group's Vice President and General Manager, made mention that Toyota Racing Development vehicle sales were up across both truck and SUV segments by more than 52 percent over the last 2 years. Almost half of Toyota Tundra and Toyota Tacoma enthusiasts, he claims, opted into the thrill of a TRD package.
The #Tacoma #TRDPro is packed up and ready for #Stagecoach! See you soon! #ToyotaMusic pic.twitter.com/PTgube0WCW
— Toyota USA (@Toyota) April 26, 2017
Plus, the expert source mentioned, Las Vegas's Mint 400 off-road race, taking and now having taken place in March, would and did serve as quite the opportunity to test Toyota's toughest Tacoma yet, the 2017 model. And with that, our dreams of the potential for 2018 Toyota Tacoma took flight.
So, what have we to expect? Consider the speculations from a few major sources.
Cars Direct expects, along with Toyota, that 2018 Toyota Tacoma may begin production in August 2017, with a potential on-sale date of sometime this November. And with the Toyota Tacoma redesign having taken place in 2016, we may be able to expect much of the same rugged road prowess of the 2017 model. However, other models like Toyota Corolla and Prius have begun to receive the class-upending Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) system standard, with adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and more, so the suite may be a possibility for 2018 Tacoma.
Motor Trend takes a performance turn in its musings, expecting the mid-size pickup to retain available rear- or four-wheel-drive configurations, as well as four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6 engine options with respective five-speed manual or six-speed auto and six-speed manual auto transmissions. And J.D. Power's April 18-dated 2018 Toyota Tundra Preview showcases the possibilities of new mesh and billet grille designs, depending on trim, the addition of LED headlights and fog lights for higher trim levels, and the debut of an exciting TRD Sport trim level to appeal to those of off-road athletics bent.
We at Johnstons Toyota hope the buzz translates into a new Tacoma in New Hampton sometime soon enough. But while we await Toyota's 2018 pickup, why not stop by our 5015 Route 17M showroom to see what the potential of a comparable 2017 Tacoma model evinces? We'll be glad to set you up in a capacious, feature-packed cabin for a thrilling test drive!
