Last weekend, AutoIndustriya.com reported that the Toyota Tamaraw would be making a comeback. This comes after the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) shared that Toyota Motors Corporation has plans to bring back the very popular workhorse.

While we were left scratching our heads at the prospect of the Tamaraw returning given that it has been retired in favor of its successor – the Innova, Toyota's official announcement means they are actually serious about it.

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has revealed the investment plans to bring back the Tamaraw. This comes straight from Atsuhiro Okamoto, the president of TMP. In a recent interview with the media regarding the revival of the Tamrawa, Okamoto said that they will be investing a total of PHP 4.4 billion. In addition, Okamoto said they signed a letter of intent with the Philippine government last Friday, February 10, 2023, to invest in the IMV-0 project.

“We were committed to invest the PHP 4.4 billion for light commercial vehicle (LCV), that's called in Toyota IMV (Innovative International Multi-Purpose)-0 project. It's the new generation Tamaraw project, we will enter this in the IMV-0 in the near future. Of course, local production, manufacturing in Santa Rosa,” said Atsuhiro Okamoto, president of Toyota Motor Philippines.

As for its engine, the automaker shared that the new generation Tamaraw will still have a diesel engine under the hood but will be cleaner than its predecessors. When asked about when the new Tamaraw will start production, Okamoto simply said that it would not commence this year.

The Toyota IMV-0 Concept

But why does Toyota want to bring back the Tamaraw in the first place? According to the president, the company has been contemplating returning the Tamaraw since 2020. Okamoto added that they want to help the Philippine society, especially the MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises). But with commercial vehicles like the Hilux priced higher, they have decided to introduce a more affordable commercial vehicle for MSMEs.

While we still don't have an idea what the new Tamaraw will look like, it could resemble the IMV-0 Concept the automaker revealed last year just before the holidays. Revealed in Thailand, the modular IMV-0 Concept can be configured from a dropside pickup truck to a full overland vehicle. Combined with the fact that it carries the name “zero”, the Tamaraw could also come with a zero-emissions powertrain or as a hybrid model.

Needless to say, we'll be keeping a close eye on any development regarding the new Tamaraw project by Toyota Motor Philippines.