You can’t really call yourself a South African unless you can identify a Toyota Hilux by its silhouette, but you may soon have trouble spotting one as it zips by on that dirt road. Not because the Japanese company has altered its iconic shape (much), but because it’ll be moving too fast.
Toyota has whipped the shrouds off its newest range of workhorse bakkies and, along with the usual upgrades to its petrol and diesel models, there are two unusual flavours set to arrive. These are the Toyota Hilux BEV and the upgraded Hybrid 48V, a fully-electric and a plug-in hybrid model, respectively.
Hilux goes high-tech
The company’s Hybrid 48V isn’t new in South Africa, but its presence here bodes well for the eventual launch of the Hilux BEV, which has only been confirmed for Thailand, where the vehicle was announced. Toyota “plans to launch [the BEV] sequentially from 2026 onward,” but this is only for Asia. Details for Western markers are likely to emerge soon.
The sooner the better, of course. The BEV’s stats, if not its expected price tag, will have you at least wondering how the bakkie will perform on SA roads. The 59.2 kWh battery doesn’t have the greatest range, with a “cruising range” of 300km per charge expected, but the four-wheel drive will feature an EV’s instant torque, while the twin motors send 144kW of power to the wheels.
A slightly different set of stats puts a combined 473.6 Nm of torque at a driver’s disposal when the power from the front and rear axles is added. Early figures (i.e., not final) reckon the Hilux BEV will handle a 715kg payload in the bed and an extra 1,600kg attached to the towing hitch. That should give drivers “a WLTP driving range of approximately 240 km,” but the company reckons that its charge speeds should minimise the time you spend plugged into a recharge station.
Also coming from Toyota, sometime after 2028, is another version of the Hilux. This one will feature a hydrogen fuel cell, a continuation of the company’s experimental work with different engines and fuel types. According to Toyota, the “fuel cell Hilux will be a further demonstration of Toyota’s commitment to realising the potential of hydrogen as a valuable source of clean energy and will add stimulus to a wider roll-out of hydrogen eco-systems and infrastructure in Europe.” So… we won’t see it here at launch, then?
