Toyota is Bringing a New-School Chinook to SEMA

Dubbed the “Tacozilla,” this Tacoma TRD Sport-based camper concept is an homage to an icon of the 1970s RV scene.

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about Tyler Evans’ killer Chinook 4×4 project, and gushed over his amazing photography. That piece was actually a follow-up to my The World Needs More Toyota Chinook Overlanding Rigs post, which went live just a weeks before, and after I saw what Toyota has planned for SEMA this year, I got incredibly stoked. Because Toyota is bringing a new-school Chinook to the big show in Sin City — and the rendering looks amazing. So, it’s cool. You’re welcome.

Dubbed the “Tacozilla,” this Tacoma TRD Sport-based camper concept keeps the old-school livery and colors, and packs a ton of functionality into the area behind the cab. Along with what appears to be sleeping quarters for two, there’s a table, kitchen area, and even a toilet. Looking at the design drawings, the only things I’d want to add here would be a burly rack system for the roof, and an extendable awning to provide some shade. Just those two elements could add a ton of functionality, even if they would detract every so slightly from the faithful reproduction of the adorable 1970s camper aesthetic.

Given that modern RVs at every price level are currently being lambasted for poor build quality, and the accelerating interest in overlanding, it almost seems like there could be an opportunity here if Toyota decided to go into production. Obviously, pricing would be a huge factor. Back in 1975, buyers could expect the cost of entry for a new Chinook to start at $7,995, which translates to $40,125 when adjusted for inflation. Given that a 2022 Tacoma TRD Sport comes in at about $33,410, all that extra kit for 40k seems like a steal.

Toyota will be teasing out progress on the build over the next couple of weeks, so I’m curious to see what the engineers have done to the greasy bits to support the extra weight. So color me subscribed. That said? In my opinion, holding SEMA — an event that crams thousands of people from around the world into a single building for a week — during a global pandemic is a magnificent demonstration of hubris. Seriously, I went to SEMA for nine consecutive years, and I always came home with a terrible cold. Cool builds aside, holding this show is a bonehead move.

Photos: Toyota

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