International - Toyota’s marketing head in Australia, Sean Hanley, recently revealed that the Toyota Hilux would see some form of electrification in the next seven years, but now that looks set to happen sooner than anticipated.
Drive says it has unearthed Toyota’s top-secret plans to release an electrified Hilux before the current generation bows out around 2025.
However, the Australian motoring publication says the newcomer is a source of controversy within Toyota as it is believed the vehicle will be a diesel-powered mild hybrid. This means it will not offer the same kind of fuel savings as full hybrid models like the Prius, which can accelerate on electric power only at lower speeds.
Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed by Toyota, and it remains to be seen whether such a model would come to South Africa in the current generation.
However, the eventual production of a Hilux with some form of electrification would seem inevitable for Toyota SA, but more likely from the next generation onwards, as the local division would surely seek to retain Europe as a key export market.
As for the mild hybrid Hilux for Australia, Drive reports that the system will pair with the existing 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine, likely boosting the current output figures of 150kW and 500Nm.
Besides hybrids, Toyota is also exploring fully electric and hydrogen powertrain options for the Hilux, and the latter could be an internal combustion model as the carmaker is currently testing this technology in a GR Yaris rally car.
However, it’s likely that EV and hydrogen Hiluxes, if they ever emerge, will only happen much later in the decade, after the next-generation model has been launched.