Toyota is still playing coy about whether or not it will build a Ford Raptor rival. Even then, there are several signs pointing to a high-performance Tundra, from an insider tipping us off about the development of such a truck years ago to spy photos of a wide, high-riding prototype in 2025. On top of that, a Toyota R&D crew took a Tundra racing at the Mint 400 just a couple of weeks ago (and won).
There’s now another potential clue, as Toyota applied to trademark a new name: TRD Hammer.
A post on the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website says the application was filed March 10. It doesn’t provide all that many details, but it does identify the applicant as Toyota Motor Corporation. Additionally, there’s no particular font style, size, or color assigned to the name.
“TRD Hammer” was one of several naming options that Toyota provided in a recent survey. The list of other proposed names included “TRD Baja,” “TRD Iron,” “TRD Pro-S,” “TRD Bizurk,” and “TRD Quake.” Importantly, that same survey gave a brief description of the vehicle that one of those names would be applied to:
“This high-performance truck package is designed for off-road enthusiasts, featuring an engineered long-travel suspension and 37” all-terrain tires. With the truck’s unique wide fenders, high-clearance bumpers, and a powerful engine, it achieves exceptional off-road capability and performance.
A friend of The Drive corroborated the 37-inch tire detail and said it will be “badass.” No mention of a V8, though.
A Tundra variant positioned above the TRD Pro seems like a sure thing, then. And if it makes more than that truck’s 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque, then “Hammer” would be an appropriate name. It also recalls the annual King of the Hammers off-road race in Johnson Valley, California. Whatever the inspiration, the name deserves its place on the stringboard in every Toyota fanboy’s basement right now. (And before you laugh, just know this is a frequent topic of conversation in the Tundra owner forums.)
I’m itching to see if and when Toyota pulls the trigger on this project. The name might take some getting used to, but if the truck itself is rowdy enough, it won’t really matter what it’s called. People just wanna go fast.
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