According to Toyota’s exec, a mass-produced Hilux imagined as an EV is still a project upper management of the automaker is keen to pursue.
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The current generation of Hilux may be long in the tooth in certain regards, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from conducting significant R&D on it to determine if it could be a viable mule to carry the baton as the first EV of the nameplate in the automaker’s history. According to Emmanuel Beaune, head of Toyota Europe’s light commercial vehicles division, the automaker is still interested in an electrified version of the Hilux.
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That is because exploring an electric Hilux aligns with Toyota’s diverse approach to powertrain solutions dubbed the ‘multi-pathway approach’. Although investigations are underway, specific details or a formal announcement regarding an electric Hilux are not yet available. Toyota had previously unveiled a one-off electric Hilux concept, the Hilux Revo BEV (which is shown here), in 2022, featuring an approximate range of 230 km.
While there are currently no small electric pickup trucks in the Hilux’s market segment, other manufacturers like Isuzu and Volkswagen are also venturing into electric options, with Isuzu planning a battery-powered D-Max and Volkswagen working on an electric SUV based on its locally manufactured Amarok.
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While the Hilux dominates the LCV segment in South Africa every month, there is also no certainty that an electrified version of the bakkie will make its way to our shores. With unreasonably high tariffs on the import of electrified vehicles and the precarious state of the national power grid, the consensus for an electrified bakkie by prospective buyers would likely be negative considering its hindered utilitarian benefits.
