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Looking to defend its place as the best-selling midsize pickup in America, Toyota has fully redesigned the Tacoma for 2016.

Toyota hasn’t released specifications yet, but the company trotted its new truck out as a preview to next week’s Detroit Auto Show. From these photos, we can spot a few of the upgrades Toyota has brought to its new midsize pickup.

Many of the styling cues from the new Tundra are present on the small truck including the Tacoma nameplate being stamped directly into the sheet metal on the tailgate. The trailer light hookups are now above the bumper and the ground clearance appears to be increased. Finally, a V6 badge on the back of the truck reveals at least one of the engines, although it’s still not clear whether it is a new motor or the same 4.0-liter V6 the truck uses today.

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In a recent interview, Toyota chief truck engineer Mike Sweers suggested that updates coming to the Tacoma would be much more substantial than those that came to the Tundra, hinting at the possibility of an updated powertrain.

Toyota hasn’t dealt with serious competition to the Tacoma in years, but General Motors is challenging its status in the segment with the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon siblings.

More details will be released shortly before the truck’s world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.

If you have questions about the 2016 Tacoma, post them here at we’ll put them to the truck’s chief engineer during a live stream at the Detroit Auto Show.

GALLERY: 2016 Toyota Tacoma

GALLERY: 2016 Toyota Tacoma Official Photos

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