Back in February, it was reported that the Toyota Tamaraw will be making its comeback soon in the Philippines. It was essentially confirmed by Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) president Atsuhiro Okamoto, along with mentions of a diesel engine that will power the model. But a recent update shows interesting progress regarding this matter.
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After snooping around the World Intellectual Property Organization database, we stumbled upon a document that further reinforces the Tamaraw comeback plans. Per the file, the name Tamaraw has been filed for trademark in the Philippines. It was filed on March 9, 2023 with the trademark pending at the time of writing.
It’s an interesting bit of news, and it’s great to know that there is more solid proof that we can expect the first all-new Tamaraw sometime in the future. That said, what can we expect from this model?
In January, Toyota presented two models during the 60th anniversary celebration of Toyota Thailand. The first one shown was a battery-powered Hilux, while the second was the IMV-0 concept car. The IMV-0 features a modular ladder frame chassis that can be used for various applications from pickups, SUVs, and MPVs, just to name a few. At the time it was revealed, there was no mention of the name Tamaraw, but there’s a very good chance it will utilize this platform.
TMP president Okamoto mentioned diesel power for the Tamaraw revival, but IMV-0 also opens up the possibility of electric and hybrid powertrain options as well. “BEV is one of the methodologies for carbon neutrality. Our enemy is carbon, yes, not ICE (internal combustion engines), so we will prepare all the variants for carbon neutrality, not only the EV but also hybrid, probably hybrid, even hydrogen, we will prepare,” said Okamoto.
So, when can we expect the all-new Tamaraw? Hold your horses because a trademark filing doesn’t necessarily mean the model will come out this year. But given the significance of the name and its new platform, we could see the real deal in a year or two.
