Opinion: Toyota Commands the Tide with new 2026 TRD Color

I generally follow truck news through various news apps and magazine subscriptions. Each day, I read through a variety of different topics: recalls, interior features, comparison articles, upcoming truck shows... the list goes on. Yet in the past week of browsing through different news items to feature for Ecoological's first opinion piece, two words flooded my feed: Wave Maker.

I'm always apprehensive when it comes to more exotic colors from Toyota, (Lime Rush for the 2022 4Runner is a prime example... I’ve seen trail markers with more subtlety). Toyota delivers its best work with earthier tones and variations of classic colors. We recently added Terra to our Painted-to-Code overlays due to its high demand and I can see why it's so popular. It's subtle yet powerful, evoking naturalistic elements and Redwood Forests.

But I must say... Toyota blew it out of the water with Wave Maker.

Designed by Toyota's CALTY Design team, Wave Maker is inspired by unexplored areas of adventure and many worldly (and otherworldly) elements of space, oceans and blue skies. It is the eleventh unique color in the TRD Pro lineup, following previous bold choices like Inferno and Voodoo Blue. This new shade aims to evoke images of glacial depths and the thrill of new frontiers, making a bold statement for adventure enthusiasts. 

While you may think it's difficult to make a new truck color sound exciting, the Wave Maker Press Release from Toyota earned my respect with their enticing opening pitch:

"Color can evoke strong emotions and can inspire our inner adventurer. A vehicle’s color makes a bold outward statement to the world about inner ambitions. The all-new color Wave Maker is exclusive to 2026 TRD Pro models and is a striking shade of blue that makes your rowdy intentions known to the world."

Wave Maker is expected to release sometime in Fall of this year. 

From a manufacturing standpoint, this is definitely a color we'd like to feature as part of our Painted-to-Code overlays for the Tundra. What do you think of this color? Is it one you'd like to see us offer?

-James T.