Fox has signed a season-long sponsorship deal with Toyota for the reboot of the popular series “Baywatch” featuring the automaker's Tacoma as a character in the series. The show will feature a customized Tacoma as the official vehicle for lifeguards, while other characters will use a range of Toyota models as their personal transportation. No other auto advertiser will be able to run commercials in the show. This partnership aligns Toyota with the series, which began shooting this week on L.A.’s Venice Beach and Century City. The deal represents a departure from the past trend of car companies appearing in TV series to focus on specific characters. Despite this shift, overall auto spending on TV ads has decelerated in recent years, with automakers spending $2.71 billion on national TV advertising in 2023, a decline of about 14.4% compared to $3.32 billion in 2025.