You’ve seen the "Born in Texas" stickers. Maybe you’ve even seen the old TV commercials featuring rugged landscapes in the American West. But if you walk onto a dealership lot today to buy a shiny new 2026 Toyota Tacoma, the sticker on the door jamb will likely tell a different story than the one you remember from a decade ago.
Honestly, the automotive world moves fast. One minute a truck is the poster child for American manufacturing, and the next, the logistics have shifted a thousand miles south.
So, where are Toyota Tacoma trucks built right now?
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The short answer is Mexico. Every single one of them. Since late 2021, Toyota has centralized the production of its best-selling midsize pickup at two specific facilities south of the border. If you’re looking for a "Made in the USA" Tacoma, you’re looking at the used market—specifically anything built before the big production shift that wrapped up about four years ago.
The Two Powerhouses: Tijuana and Guanajuato
It isn't just one giant factory churning these out. Toyota split the workload between two distinct regions in Mexico to keep up with the insane demand for the fourth-generation Tacoma.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California (TMMBC)
This is the veteran of the group. Located in Tijuana, just a stone's throw from the California border, this plant has been in the Tacoma game since 2004. It started small—basically making truck beds—but eventually grew into a full-scale assembly hub.
TMMBC is a massive operation. It sits on about 700 acres and employs over 2,000 people. For a long time, this was the "supplemental" plant that helped the Texas facility keep up with orders. Now, it's a cornerstone. If you drive a Tacoma with a VIN starting with "3," there’s a massive chance it rolled off the line right here in Baja.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Guanajuato (TMMGT)
The "new kid" on the block. Located in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, this facility is the high-tech heart of Tacoma production. It opened its doors in late 2019 and was the first Toyota plant built from the ground up to utilize the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA).
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Why does that matter? Because the newest Tacomas share a lot of "DNA" with the Tundra and Sequoia. This plant was designed specifically to handle those complex builds, including the newer hybrid powertrains that have become a huge selling point for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 models.
Why Did Toyota Leave Texas?
It’s the question every truck enthusiast asks. For years, the San Antonio plant (TMMTX) was the spiritual home of the "Texas-built" Tacoma. It felt right. A rugged truck built in the heart of truck country.
But in 2020, Toyota made a massive strategic announcement. They decided to move all Tacoma production to Mexico to make room in San Antonio for two massive vehicles: the Tundra and the Sequoia.
Basically, it came down to size and efficiency. The Tundra and Sequoia are huge, body-on-frame beasts that share a platform. It made zero sense to have the smaller Tacoma taking up line space in Texas when the Mexico plants were already specialized in midsize production. By moving the Tacoma south, Toyota could crank out more Tundras in San Antonio without tripping over themselves.
Nobody lost their jobs in Texas during this move, which is a detail people often miss. In fact, Toyota invested billions back into the San Antonio plant to upgrade it for the new Tundra. It wasn't about "quitting" America; it was about organizing the house.
The Quality Question: Mexico vs. USA
Let’s be real for a second. There is always a group of people on the forums claiming that the "Texas trucks" were built better. You’ll hear stories about panel gaps or paint thickness.
Is there any truth to it?
Not really. Toyota uses something called the Toyota Production System (TPS). It’s a legendary manufacturing philosophy that focuses on "Kaizen," or continuous improvement. Whether a truck is built in Japan, Texas, or Guanajuato, the robots are calibrated to the same microns, and the human inspectors are trained to the same rigid standards.
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Interestingly, the Baja plant has actually won J.D. Power awards for initial quality in the past. The people working those lines have been building Tacomas for twenty years. They know these trucks better than almost anyone.
Where the Parts Actually Come From
Even though the final "marriage" (where the cab meets the chassis) happens in Mexico, the Tacoma is still a North American jigsaw puzzle.
- Engines: A huge portion of the engines—including the 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinders—are built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Huntsville.
- Design: The look of the truck? That happened in Newport Beach, California, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, at Toyota's CALTY Design Research studios.
- Engineering: Most of the heavy lifting regarding suspension tuning and frame durability was handled at the Toyota R&D centers in Michigan and Arizona.
So, while the final assembly happens in Mexico, the "soul" of the truck—and a lot of its heavy metal—is still very much rooted in U.S. soil.
The Future of Tacoma Production
As we look at the 2026 model year and beyond, don't expect the Tacoma to return to the U.S. anytime soon. Toyota has doubled down on its Mexican operations, recently boosting production capacity by over 60% at its Tijuana and Guanajuato plants to keep up with the 2025/2026 demand.
They are also prepping these plants for the inevitable shift toward more electrification. With the i-FORCE MAX hybrid already a staple, the infrastructure is already there for whatever comes next.
Actionable Insights for Buyers:
- Check the VIN: If you are curious about your specific truck, look at the first character of the VIN. A "3" indicates it was built in Mexico. If you're looking at an older used model and see a "5," that’s a Texas-built truck.
- Don't Fear the Location: Focus on the maintenance history rather than the assembly plant. A well-maintained Mexico-built Tacoma will easily outlast a neglected U.S.-built one.
- Support Local Suppliers: Even if you're worried about "buying American," remember that your Tacoma’s engine likely came from Alabama and its design from Michigan.
- Verify the Sticker: Always look at the Monroney sticker (the window sticker) on a new truck. It lists the "Point of Assembly" and the percentage of parts content by country. It’s the most transparent way to see exactly where your money is going.