Toyota to Update Body-on-Frame Models, Considers Hybrid Truck

When it comes to its truck and body-on-frame SUV lineup, Toyota has been content with leaving well enough alone. Its offerings are good, but they haven’t really innovated anything in some time. The automaker is looking to change that in the next few years.

Speaking to Automotive News at the State Fair of Texas, Toyota group vice president of marketing Ed Laukes said the company has updates for its body-on-frame vehicles in the pipeline.

“We are working on [updates to our body-on-frame platforms] right now,” Laukes told AN. “To continue to be able to address that, we have to work on upgrades. Let’s face it, the competition is getting stronger and stronger. Things like the [Ford] Ranger coming back. We have to be able to address that. Now, the Tacoma was completely redone. But 4Runner, Sequoia, Tundra…those are being worked on as we speak.”

In addition to a redesigned exterior and interior, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma received a new 3.5-liter V-6 engine option, a new six-speed automatic transmission, and more high-strength steel in its frame to increase rigidity and lower weight. The Tundra received a major refresh for the 2014 model year and gets another minor one for 2018, but the updates are mostly cosmetic. The 4Runner received a refresh in 2013, but its chassis and engine date back to 2009. The Sequoia gets a refresh for 2018, but is essentially the same full-size SUV it was when it debuted for the 2008 model year.

Laukes also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a hybrid pickup.

“There’s absolutely no reason we couldn’t have a hybrid truck,” he said. “All those options, we’re exploring. When you’re trying to raise [corporate average fuel economy] limits for the entire brand, there’s no option that isn’t on the table.”

He didn’t say which truck might get a hybrid variant, but did say the Tacoma would be getting powertrain upgrades in order to stay competitive.

“We’re going to continue to work on all the improvements that are going to be necessary to keep Tacoma at the top of the class. So powertrains are obviously a big piece of anyone’s equation as we work on CAFE standards.”

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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A Century of Chevrolet Trucks in Photos

Chevrolet’s first truck went to market as a 1918 model year. Named the One-Ton, it was effectively a Series 490 motor car with an open platform for building out whatever body the customer needed.

Since then, the Bow Tie brand has sold 85 million trucks in the last hundred years, and just launched the Centennial Edition Silverado and Colorado to celebrate that history.

Here are several key designs that formed its legacy, according to Rich Scheer, Chevrolet Trucks director of exterior design.

1929 International Series LD: This was a significant step forward for Chevy as it was the first truck to have a closed cab. Drivers were no longer exposed to the elements and interior design became a consideration—the interior was a separate environment from the outside world. Chevy also introduced exterior color combinations, signaling the start of personalization options for truck buyers.

1938 Half-Ton: Chevy’s Art and Color department, now known as Design Center, played a role in the styling of a truck for the first time. It’s evident in the art deco styling: teardrop drop fenders, a styled grille, and an overall streamlined look.

1947 3100 Series: This is the archetypical vintage Chevy truck. It employed the first use of the horizontal grille, a styling queue still used on the Bow Tie’s trucks today. The fenders are more incorporated with the body, signaling a shift toward contemporary truck design.

1955 3124 Series Cameo Carrier: Speaking of contemporary truck design this is arguably the first modern truck—due to the line that runs uninterrupted from the front to back. It’s also the brand’s first Fleetside truck; the bed’s bodywork is flush with the cab and fenders.

1967 C10 Fleetside: This is the first truck Scheer fell in love with. It maintains and advances the front to back line of the 3124 Series and overall has a very clean look. The Bow Tie emblem is integrated with the Chevrolet bar on the front fascia as well.

1973 C30 One-Ton Dually: Chevy’s first definitively heavy duty truck, the C30’s design emphasizes the vehicle’s utility. It’s minimalistic compared to previous generations but purpose-built.

1988 C/K 1500: This truck still looks modern today: a lot of the styling has carried into current models. Chevy did aerodynamic testing on the C/K 1500 because gas prices had gone up since the previous decades. The interior got futuristic buttons and a low-set instrument panel.

1999 Silverado 1500 LT Z71: The first generation Silverado is when Chevy’s trucks really take on the current look, especially from the front-fascia. It maintained the aerodynamic look and took it forward with an evolutionary step.

2007 Silverado 1500: Chevy bulked up this truck without losing the benefit of aerodynamic design. Its fenders bulge a little more than the previous generation.

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