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Toyota's new and smaller ute won't be the HiLux Champ we've seen in Asian markets, but will instead be a new car-based tray-back designed to take on models like the Ford Maverick.
That's the news out of the USA, where a new Toyota patent has at last shed light on what to expect from the incoming baby HiLux.
The patent is for a new ute-like suspension mounting for a monocoque chassis, which suggests the brand is devising ways to ensure its car-based ute still delivers on capability.
Unlike car suspension, which isn't designed to take heavy loads, Toyota has designed a mounting system that spreads the load in the tray. Billed as a "strainer", the system distributes the load in the tray to balance out the weight, while structural changes to the sheet metal and to the components in the suspension further beef up their capability.
It's the surest sign yet that Toyota's baby HiLux is coming, and Toyota in Australia already has its hand up for it. While the Champ has been ruled out as non-compliant with Australia's standards, this new and more modern ute could be right on the money.
Currently codenamed Project 150D, the new ute is reportedly being readied for a launch in Brazil in the first half of 2027. When it does, the ute will debut Toyota's first tray-backed plug-in hybrid powertrain, using a system taken from the Prius.
That would pair a 2.0-litre petrol engine with two electric motors for a total system output of 166kW, while the e-CVT is joined by a second electric motor to enable eFour all-wheel drive.
Asked if the Project 150D was made globally available, Toyota Australia would have its hand up for it, Ray Munday, Senior Manager Product Planning and Pricing at Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, replied: "We'd certainly look into it".
"If it was the right product at the right price, we believe there is some demand for that here. But it's always got to be about the right product at the right price. Otherwise, it won't be successful," he said.
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