Pickup trucks aren’t all to popular in Japan. With space constraints and heavy road use taxes, it’s easy to understand why that’s the case. That said, Toyota has been the dominant brand in its home market when it comes to trucks, mainly because the Hilux has a monopoly in that segment.
By the looks of it, the company wants to keep it that way with the reveal of the Toyota EPU concept. It made its premiere at Japan Mobility Show 2023, and it might just be the pickup for urbanites who love trucks.
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Unlike the Hilux, the EPU concept does not use a traditional ladder frame chassis. Instead, it’s a unibody structure like what one would see in a crossover or sedan. There is no mention of what the EPU is based on, but it’s a concept for now so that’s difficult to nail down. Another break from tradition is its powertrain, using batteries and electric motors instead of a good ol’ engine.
In terms of size, it measures 5,070mm long, 1,910mm wide, and 1,710mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,350mm. Those dimensions make it a tad bit smaller that the world’s best-selling midsize pickup. For comparison, the dual-cab (four-door) Hilux measures 5,345mm long, 1,935mm wide, and 1,815mm tall. The EPU does beat the Hilux in terms of wheelbase thanks to the unibody chassis (3,350mm vs. 3,085mm).
Toyota adds that the unibody chassis allows for a versatile deck space that caters to a broader range of user applications. The company also hinted that there will various configurations aside from a dual-cab body style. Of course, we’ll only believe that once Toyota makes the official announcement that it will put the truck into production. That said, there were reports of a Corolla-based pickup coming soon a few months back.
It was the brand's Calty North American design studio that produced the Toyota EPU concept, and it could be said that it’s aimed straight at the compact pickups over there. Should the company produce this model, it’s gunning for the likes of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
As for the possible name, the word Stout has been floating around for quite some time already. It should be a good fit too as Stout was first used about 60 years ago for one of Toyota's first small pickup trucks.
