2020 Toyota Tacoma teased ahead of Chicago Auto Show debut

Toyota on Tuesday announced it will show a new version of the Tacoma for 2020 at next month's Chicago Auto Show. The automaker released a darkened photo showing the top part of the midsize pickup truck's front end set against a mountain silhouette at dusk. That's the extent of what Toyota is saying, and it isn't much to go on, admittedly. But it comes as the Tacoma, which was last updated for 2016, faces what figures to be stiff new competition in the midsize segment as the 2019 Ford Ranger and 2020 Jeep Gladiator try to muscle in on its turf. Toyota says that the 2020 Tacoma "storms" into the Windy City, which may or may not be some kind of clue about what's in store.

Comparing the new photo to an image of the 2019 version (below), we can see that the new model features redesigned rectangular headlights, and the four ridge lines running the length of the roof appear to be gone. The portion of the grille that's visible appears to retain the same basic shape, but with the insert darkened, it's possible there are some changes there as well. Maybe we'll see a few more revealing teaser shots leading up to the full reveal on Feb. 7.

Toyota appears to have a soft spot for Chicago, having unveiled its 2019 TRD Pro off-road trucks at last year's show. We saw earlier versions at other Chicago shows, too.

Toyota certainly has a lot to lose as the market gets more crowded. Sales of the Tacoma, its top-selling pickup, rose nearly 24 percent in 2018 to 245,659.