It’s been dragged into the sea, drafted into wars, hauled twice its weight, turned into RVs, and built into fire trucks, and now the pickup truck everyone thinks is indestructible is heading off on another adventure. The iconic Toyota Hilux pickup truck is getting an electric variant next year, and while you likely won’t see it in desert climates anytime soon, it could help Thailand electrify its commercial vehicle fleet.
Yes, the electric Hilux is expected to be built in Thailand, with Toyota Motor Asia executive vice president Pras Ganesh telling Reuters, “Our intention is to be producing the Hilux BEV over here.” Considering Thailand is a huge market for trucks, and that Isuzu is preparing a locally-built electric pickup truck, it makes a ton of sense to launch it there.
While we don’t know much about the truck’s specs, it likely won’t be the longest-range EV on the market. Toyota’s targeting 124 miles of range, and while that wouldn’t make sense for longer drives, it does make sense in denser areas. Plus, less range means fewer batteries, which could translate to higher payload capacities and lower prices, both critical things in markets like South East Asia.
At the same time, pickup trucks often do absolutely everything you can think of in Thailand. Heavy work, family duties, road trips, racing, off-roading … you name it. Thailand is the world’s second-largest market for pickup trucks by market share, and an electric Hilux won’t be able to do all of those things. Think of this truck a bit like Thailand’s F-150 Lightning, and you get the gist — it should be a thoroughly popular, largely conventional pickup truck that just happens to be electric.
However, like the F-150 Lightning, the electric Hilux won’t be the first electric pickup truck on sale in its market. Chinese automaker Geely has an electric pickup truck going on sale in Thailand next month called the Riddara RD6, pictured above. It’s a crew cab pickup truck with a claimed 282 miles of range, so it isn’t quite as utilitarian as a single cab setup. Still, it’s an option, and one that should give Toyota more competition.
While there’s a near-zero chance that the electric Hilux will make its way to North American showrooms, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no shot of a handful coming to North America for a very niche purpose. Although the 70-series Land Cruiser was discontinued in North America a long time ago, mines in Canada still import new examples for use in the mines. An electric Toyota pickup truck would cut down on emissions and reduce operating costs, so don’t rule this vehicle out for that purpose just yet. It’s still not likely, but it’s not off the table yet.
Needless to say, we’re excited to see the results next year, when the production-spec electric Toyota Hilux is set to be revealed. It’s certainly a new frontier for one of the world’s best-selling pickup trucks, and while it’s unlikely an electric version will ever be dropped off a high-rise building, it ought to embody the legendary durability the Hilux is known for.
(Photo credits: Toyota, Geely)
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