The Latest News, Rumors and Changes in the Truck World

Toyota 4Runner Celebrates Historic Run with 40th Anniversary Special Edition

Forty candles. The big “four-0.” The Toyota 4Runner will reach the 40-year mark with the 2023 model year …  and, to celebrate, Toyota is offering a distinctive 4WD-only 2023 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition. Appropriately, Toyota will make 4,040 of these special editions available for the US market. Over the past four decades, 4Runner has amassed more than 4 million cumulative sales while carving out its place as the ready-for-anything SUV that’s equally at home on pavement or trail. 

The 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition is based on the SR5 Premium grade and will be available in three colors: White, Midnight Black Metallic, and Barcelona Red Metallic. It will stand out from the lineup thanks to bronze-colored 17-inch alloy wheels, a body-color-matching TOYOTA heritage grille and a bronze-colored 40th anniversary exterior tailgate badge.

The biggest eye-catcher, though, is likely to be the heritage graphics package created especially for this anniversary model. The first 4Runner was built on the Toyota pickup platform, which itself founded the heritage of Toyota’s illustrious success in off-road racing. As an homage to those early racers, the 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition will be wearing some very cool, retro-inspired yellow/orange/red body graphics.

The anniversary theme continues inside, where the 4Runner 40th Anniversary Special Edition gets exclusive badging on the center console and features a bronze-colored cross-stitch shift knob, bronze-colored seat stitching, 40th Anniversary floormats and a 40th Anniversary logo on the Black SofTex-trimmed seats. Topping it off is a standard power moonroof.

Fun facts: When the first 4Runner arrived, “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” was the top-grossing movie in America, and “Every Breath You Take” by the Police had ended the year at #1 on the Billboard 100. (Yep, that was then “Jedi” was the third Star Wars movie, not “Episode Six.”)

Buzz Vehicles at Star Wars Celebration

Volkswagen Unveils Two “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Inspired ID

Two very special “Obi-Wan Kenobi” inspired Volkswagen ID. Buzz vehicles were part of this year’s Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, part of the brand’s ongoing collaboration with the new series, which debuted on Disney+ on May 27th. The showcars, ID. Buzz “Light Side Edition” and the ID. Buzz “Dark Side Edition,” embody the Light and Dark side with eye-catching looks designed to delight and thrill Star Wars fans. 

Both ID. Buzz showcars were on the carpet at the premiere of “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” a surprise addition to the fan event, where Volkswagen brand ambassador and star of the series, Ewan McGregor, was also in attendance.

Hyundai Santa Cruz to Tackle Off-Road Rebelle Rally

 Automotive writers Jill Ciminillo and Kristin Shaw will drive a 2022 Santa Cruz Limited in the seventh annual Rebelle Rally, an all-women, off-road navigational challenge held in the deserts of California and Nevada. Starting Oct. 6 at a to-be-determined location in Nevada, the rally will cover 1,500 miles in eight days before reaching the finish line on Oct. 15 in the Imperial Sand Dunes of Southern California. It will be Ciminillo and Shaw’s first attempt at the Rebelle Rally and Hyundai’s first time supporting the event.

“We are incredibly proud to be sponsoring our first Hyundai team in the Rebelle Rally,” said Dana White, chief communications officer, Hyundai Motor North America. “Rebelle Rally is not only about the competition. It is also about empowering women and allowing them to showcase their strengths and skills. We are thrilled to be partnering with Jill and Kristin on this adventure and can’t wait to see them in action in the Santa Cruz.”