Well, I guess it’s a Blue Carpet event.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) is marketing the 2024 Tacoma pickup with DC’s newest Superhero in his debut movie, “Blue Beetle,” which made its world premiere in theaters last week. The action movie uses multiple generations of Tacoma as Jaime Reyes is forever changed when an ancient piece of alien technology, the Scarab (no relation to the racing car) transforms the college grad into the hero – The Blue Beetle. The 2024 Takoma used is decidedly not stock as it has been modified by Toyota’s CALTY Design Studio with a unique design and paint for the film. (AutoInformed: First Look – 2024 Toyota Tacoma Pickup)
“We tasked our talented CALTY Studio team, led by Scott Roller, to conjure up a Tacoma that matched the singular style of the beloved, soon-to-be-iconic ‘Taco’ Uncle Rudy has made his own over the years, but in a way that was modern and integrated with the new 2024 Tacoma design,” said Tacoma Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown. “This is where the design of the ‘Blue Taco’ came from, and it was a pleasure to work on.”
Jaime and the entire Reyes family depend on their favorite 3rd generation Toyota Tacoma throughout the movie. The “Taco” is the pride and joy of Jaime’s Uncle Rudy, played by George Lopez. The Blue Beetle, his family, and their Tacoma are able to take on anything this being a Warner Brothers creation. There is a cameo appearance by the 4th generation Tacoma.
Toyota and virtually all automakers have used Hollywood to promote and sell vehicles of course. Toyota trucks have a history in Hollywood, as the 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab was the truck of Marty McFly in the 1980s film “Back to the Future.” Gen One Tundra was in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” with 600 T3 Special Edition Tundras sold that same year.
The all-new 2024 Tacoma will be in dealerships by the end of the year with i-FORCE MAX models arriving in early 2024. The mid-size pickup truck is now built off the same TNGA-F global truck platform used for the Tundra and Sequoia. The manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale dates.
There are two turbocharged four-cylinder powertrains – the most expensive is dubbed the i-FORCE MAX hybrid, rated at 326 horsepower and a 465 lb.-ft. of torque. This 2.4-liter engine is linked with a 48-hp electric motor using a 1.87-kWh NiMH battery pack. (Yes, nickel metal hydride – a Toyota favorite) The motor is integrated into the eight-speed transmission. All told, the result roughly doubles the torque output of the third-generation Tacoma with the V6 engine.
The standard turbo engine Tacoma debuts Toyota’s Trailhunter grade, first revealed at the 2022 SEMA show as a Trailhunter concept, that’s a purpose-built of-road truck. On the entry-level SR grades, this engine produces 228 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft. of torque. For all other grades, output increases to 278 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. of torque with a new eight-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with intelligence (ECT-i). A six-speed “intelligent” manual transmission (iMT2) with automatic rev matching and anti-stall technology is optional. Manual transmission models are rated at 270 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque.
Tacomas with rear-wheel drive have an automatic limited-slip differential (Auto LSD) Four-wheel-drive models have an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case with high/low range along with Active Traction Control and an automatic limited-slip differential. An electronic locking rear differential is standard on TRD PreRunner, TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter grades. The new likely very expensive Limited grade now has a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a center locking differential on i-FORCE MAX models.
Engineering research and development was conducted at Toyota Technical Centers in Michigan, Arizona, and California. The collective engineering teams developed what Toyota says, with apparent justification but awaiting independent road testing, is a “capable multipurpose vehicle that can go almost anywhere.” Improvements were made across all grades. Tacoma has off-road capability, from harsh rock crawling to high-speed desert racing.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Annals of Marketing – 2024 Toyota Tacoma in Blue Beetle
Well, I guess it’s a Blue Carpet event.
Toyota (NYSE:TM) is marketing the 2024 Tacoma pickup with DC’s newest Superhero in his debut movie, “Blue Beetle,” which made its world premiere in theaters last week. The action movie uses multiple generations of Tacoma as Jaime Reyes is forever changed when an ancient piece of alien technology, the Scarab (no relation to the racing car) transforms the college grad into the hero – The Blue Beetle. The 2024 Takoma used is decidedly not stock as it has been modified by Toyota’s CALTY Design Studio with a unique design and paint for the film. (AutoInformed: First Look – 2024 Toyota Tacoma Pickup)
“We tasked our talented CALTY Studio team, led by Scott Roller, to conjure up a Tacoma that matched the singular style of the beloved, soon-to-be-iconic ‘Taco’ Uncle Rudy has made his own over the years, but in a way that was modern and integrated with the new 2024 Tacoma design,” said Tacoma Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown. “This is where the design of the ‘Blue Taco’ came from, and it was a pleasure to work on.”
Jaime and the entire Reyes family depend on their favorite 3rd generation Toyota Tacoma throughout the movie. The “Taco” is the pride and joy of Jaime’s Uncle Rudy, played by George Lopez. The Blue Beetle, his family, and their Tacoma are able to take on anything this being a Warner Brothers creation. There is a cameo appearance by the 4th generation Tacoma.
Toyota and virtually all automakers have used Hollywood to promote and sell vehicles of course. Toyota trucks have a history in Hollywood, as the 1985 Toyota SR5 Xtra Cab was the truck of Marty McFly in the 1980s film “Back to the Future.” Gen One Tundra was in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” with 600 T3 Special Edition Tundras sold that same year.
The all-new 2024 Tacoma will be in dealerships by the end of the year with i-FORCE MAX models arriving in early 2024. The mid-size pickup truck is now built off the same TNGA-F global truck platform used for the Tundra and Sequoia. The manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale dates.
There are two turbocharged four-cylinder powertrains – the most expensive is dubbed the i-FORCE MAX hybrid, rated at 326 horsepower and a 465 lb.-ft. of torque. This 2.4-liter engine is linked with a 48-hp electric motor using a 1.87-kWh NiMH battery pack. (Yes, nickel metal hydride – a Toyota favorite) The motor is integrated into the eight-speed transmission. All told, the result roughly doubles the torque output of the third-generation Tacoma with the V6 engine.
The standard turbo engine Tacoma debuts Toyota’s Trailhunter grade, first revealed at the 2022 SEMA show as a Trailhunter concept, that’s a purpose-built of-road truck. On the entry-level SR grades, this engine produces 228 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft. of torque. For all other grades, output increases to 278 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft. of torque with a new eight-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with intelligence (ECT-i). A six-speed “intelligent” manual transmission (iMT2) with automatic rev matching and anti-stall technology is optional. Manual transmission models are rated at 270 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque.
Tacomas with rear-wheel drive have an automatic limited-slip differential (Auto LSD) Four-wheel-drive models have an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case with high/low range along with Active Traction Control and an automatic limited-slip differential. An electronic locking rear differential is standard on TRD PreRunner, TRD Off-Road, TRD Pro, and Trailhunter grades. The new likely very expensive Limited grade now has a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a center locking differential on i-FORCE MAX models.
Engineering research and development was conducted at Toyota Technical Centers in Michigan, Arizona, and California. The collective engineering teams developed what Toyota says, with apparent justification but awaiting independent road testing, is a “capable multipurpose vehicle that can go almost anywhere.” Improvements were made across all grades. Tacoma has off-road capability, from harsh rock crawling to high-speed desert racing.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.