The next couple of years will be interesting for the automotive industry. There’s been a lot of buzz about electrification, and manufacturers have been mentioning they’ll be 100 percent electrified by a certain year. Because of that we’ve been seeing rather interesting electric vehicle concepts over the years.
Before the end of 2022, Toyota previewed an all-electric concept of the Hilux (alongside the IMV-0 concept). There weren’t much details mentioned at the time, but it did explore the possibility of EV pickups becoming a more mainstream product. This time around, the Hilux BEV concept was put on display again, but this time publicly during the Bangkok International Motor Show.
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Unfortunately, Toyota was didn’t provide much info about the truck during the public display, but there are a few interesting details to note when we did a quick walkaround it.
There’s no disguising the fact that it’s a Hilux, that’s for sure. The unique grille and bumper treatment aside, it still looks like the pickup that (almost) everyone loves. It even uses the same wheels found in the Hilux G, and the rest of the body is pretty much the single cab, long bed configuration of the popular truck.
But what’s interesting here is the interior. At first glance, it looks like any other Hilux out there, but a closer look at the gear selector shows this isn’t some mockup at all. Aside from that, the rear axle gets a bit of a tweak too. The electric motor is bolted straight to shafts that power the rear wheels.
Also present here are a larger set of front brakes that appears to have extra hardware for regenerative braking. The rears also get a disc upgrade that likely has regenerative hardware attached to it.
Now that we’ve gotten close to it, the Hilux BEV isn’t some mockup. Judging by the amount of work Toyota has put into this concept, this appears to be more a working prototype than show vehicle. That said, we’re not counting on an EV Hilux coming out in a few months, but there’s a good chance we might see it in the next-generation model.
Reports have also suggested that a new Hilux will be out around 2025, so whatever tech that’s present on the Hilux BEV concept could be applied after around two to three years.
