Toyota Hilux Electric Pickup Truck Confirmed For Next Year

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Toyota Hilux electric pickup truck will compete with the upcoming Isuzu D-Max e-Pickup upon launch by the end of next year

Toyota intends to commence mass production of the electric Hilux pickup truck by the conclusion of 2025, as confirmed by the president of its Thailand unit on the sidelines of the ongoing 2024 Bangkok International Motor Show. This declaration closely follows recent developments from another Japanese automotive competitor, Isuzu, in the BEV space.

Isuzu Motors has announced its plans to produce its battery-powered D-MAX pickup truck in Thailand by the year 2025. Thailand serves as a key automotive manufacturing hub in the region, with pickup trucks being a prominent vehicle type manufactured for both domestic distribution and export purposes. The company looks to double down on the pickup craze by bringing in a modern EV.

Last week, Isuzu released images of its first-ever electric vehicle based on the D-Max pickup truck and it boasts the same towing and payload capabilities as its ICE sibling. It is underpinned by the same ladder frame chassis as its conventional D-Max V-Cross and it will be launched sometime in 2025 in the European nations before reaching other markets.

The brand has also revealed the mild-hybrid version of the D-Max and it will be introduced to take on the mild-hybrid spec Toyota Hilux. Meanwhile, Noriaki Yamashita of Toyota’s Thailand division broke the news about the development of the Hilux-based e-pickup truck. It will be launched by the closure of next calendar year but it is yet unknown where it will be manufactured.

Thailand has seen a surge in the adoption of EVS with Chinese EV manufacturers such as BYD, Changan and Great Wall Motors leading the way. Collectively, these companies have invested a substantial 1.44 billion USD into new facilities within the region. While no technical specifications of the Hilux EV have been divulged, a slew of revisions have been made to the D-Max EV to accommodate the electric drivetrain and it features a full-time 4WD system with newly developed “e-Axles”.

It features a 66.9 kWh Li-ion battery pack and boasts an electric motor developing 53 hp and 108 Nm driving the front axle and the rear electric motor is capable of 121 hp and 217 Nm. The combined system output is 174 hp and 325 Nm as it is more powerful than the 1.9L diesel-spec D-Max.