Though demand for electric vehicles may be cooling, Toyota is pressing ahead with plans to launch its first electric pickup truck.
In an interview with Reuters published on Thursday, Pras Ganesh, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Asia, said an electric version of the Hilux global midsize pickup truck will enter production by the end of 2025.
Production will be handled at a plant in Thailand, where Toyota builds current gas, diesel, and mild-hybrid versions of the Hilux for both local sale and export.
Ganesh said the electric Hilux will primarily be aimed at Thailand, where pickups account for more than 50% of vehicle sales, but it is also under consideration for export to additional markets.
Toyota HiLux Revo BEV Concept vehicle
Toyota first presented a concept of the electric Hilux in 2022. There weren't any official specifications for the concept, which goes by the name Hilux Revo BEV, but Toyota has been using it for testing purposes since the reveal.
Toyota has hinted at an electric version of the Tacoma in the past, and even rolled out a concept in 2021. It's likely Toyota's midsize truck for America will also spawn an electric option at some point.
A smaller, lifestyle-oriented electric truck might also be in the works. Toyota used the 2023 Tokyo auto show to present the EPU concept, a compact electric truck that looked ready for production.
Toyota plans to add many more EVs in the years to come, though it will continue to offer vehicles with combustion engines, and in particular hybrids. Sales of hybrids have surged in the past year, which has helped Toyota reach record sales volumes. For the year ending March 31, sales of hybrids for the Toyota and Lexus brands grew by 31% to 3.7 million units, helping those brands deliver a combined 10.31 million units. It is the first time the total surpassed 10 million units.
