‘Always an appetite’: Toyota Hilux plug-in hybrid likely as future BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger PHEV rival

The ninth-technology Toyota Hilux has arrived in Australia with list books now open. The unusual ute, a heavily revised model of its predecessor, uses the same diesel engines and transmissions.

A battery-electric Hilux is due in the center of subsequent year, yet totally different utes equivalent to the BYD Shark 6, contain shown that lag-in hybrids can resonate with Australian consumers.

We asked Toyota Australia vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley whether a hybrid Hilux would hit, and if or when one is coming to Australia.

“Effectively, there’s regularly an breeze for food for hybrid Toyota, that’s the first element,” mentioned a confident Hanley, sooner than outlining that Toyota in the close believes the user will dictate alternate — no longer govt mandates.

“You’ve got to present what the patron wants. Within the pause, we can want what we want, [the] govt can want what they want for us to contain, but when no-one buys it, it doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant.”

Virtually half of of all automobiles supplied by Toyota in Australia contain been hybrid this year. Jog-in is coming subsequent year with the RAV4, which the trace anticipates will likely be stable. And we can’t ignore the BYD Shark 6’s sales figures — the electrified ute outsold the Volkswagen Amarok, Nissan Navara, Mazda BT-50, and almost beat the Mitsubishi Triton in 2025.

Hybrids are already incandescent, but Hilux consumers are a slight totally different, says Hanley, and settle on to rely upon their automobiles’ dependability in programs that RAV4 and Corolla Frightening customers usually attain no longer.

“Having mentioned that, the technology may well perhaps perhaps no longer be there for [a Hilux PHEV] to attain what that vehicle’s got to attain at an inexpensive label. So your battery technology, the burden of the battery, the vary, the towing skill. It’d be there nonetheless it may perhaps perhaps perhaps no longer be as acceptable for the time being.

“There’ll likely be a interval the place that is well acceptable ample, if no longer higher. At that interval, you invent the alternate,” says Hanley.

A Hilux lag-in hybrid is probably going with emissions standards

“Correct now, under the necessities we perceive about NVES, you’d want lag-in hybrid,” answers Hanley when asked if a series-parallel or Tundra/300 Sequence-love hybrid machine would suit Hilux.

Toyota North The US sells its Hilux size identical Tacoma with a petroleum-electric powertrain, yet consumption is rated at spherical 10L/100km in its home market — mighty worse than the circa-8.0L/100km (reckoning on pretty) of Australia’s diesel Hilux.

Without Euro 6 emissions commonplace (which targets NOx emissions) in pressure, Toyota’s Euro 5 compliant diesel fits the foundations wisely ample.

For mild business automobiles in Australia, the Euro 6d commonplace will come into pressure in July 2028 giving the Hilux two and half of sales years sooner than AdBlue employ fluid turns into needed.

It’s miles at this point Toyota can contain to also teach at introducing hybrid versions of Hilux to withhold complete CO2 emissions in study — when asked about the law alternate, Toyota Australia senior product planning specialist Rod Lyons mentioned “we’ll be intriguing.”

What would a Hilux lag-in hybrid teach love?

Up to now there have to not any slight print on a future lag-in hybrid Hilux, whether it would employ a petroleum- or diesel-powered combustion engine, battery size, or vitality outputs.

It’s miles unlikely that Toyota would compromise a product equivalent to Hilux, meaning that a 3500kg braked towing skill, up to 1000kg payloads and off-toll road functionality — likely with a unprejudiced 4×4 machine — are fundamental.

The BYD Shark 6 is at order slight to 2500kg towing however the GWM Cannon Alpha and Ford Ranger lag-in hybrids are both licensed to tow 3.5 tonnes.

It’s miles unlikely Toyota would scurry huge vitality outputs, with spherical 200kW and 600Nm potentially ample to compare diesel efficiency. Mixed vary must be spherical 1000km, which would imply at least a 25kWh battery pack.

We all know the Hilux can accommodate a spacious battery pack, with the battery-electric model carrying a 59.2kWh item for 240km WLTP riding vary. It’s no longer exactly stellar.

Toyota has also confirmed that it is working on a hydrogen gasoline-cell powered Hilux to spice up the electric and diesel versions. Pricing is unconfirmed, but we ask them to be above diesel versions, likewise for any skill lag-in hybrid versions.

“One element that I’m able to converse, Toyota has plenty of applied sciences… I teach we’ll regularly be intriguing to reply the market,” regional chief engineer Anyarat Stthibenjakul told Chasing Vehicles. “When the inquire of comes, we’ll be there.”