The Toyota Tacoma replaced the Toyota Truck in North America in 1995.
Toyota introduced the Tacoma in the United States in February 1995, with the market launch following in March. Before that, North American buyers knew Toyota’s compact pickup largely as the Toyota Truck, although the vehicle was related to the Hilux sold under that name in many other markets.
The Tacoma was developed specifically for North American preferences. Compared with the Hilux, Toyota gave it greater emphasis on ride quality, handling, comfort, and safety because many U.S. and Canadian owners used pickups as personal transportation rather than primarily for commercial or agricultural work. The first-generation Tacoma was classified as a compact pickup.
The name change also marked a product shift rather than merely a new badge. Toyota offered regular- and extended-cab versions, two- and four-wheel drive, several engines, and later the PreRunner variant. From 2004 onward, the Tacoma was classified as a midsize pickup. T100 was a separate Toyota pickup sold before the Tacoma, Tundra was introduced later as a larger truck, and Hilux is the closely related international model—not the North American replacement’s name.