Has Toyota just dropped a big GR HiLux hint? LC300's booming V6 diesel seems headed to the ute range

The LandCruiser 300 Series 3.3-litre turbo-diesel V6 appears headed for the brand's ute and truck portfolio, after the brand in the USA dropped a diesel explainer video at about the same it previewed its upcoming Tundra pick-up truck.

What has set tongues wagging in the USA is the fact the Toyota doesn't currently sell a diesel engine in America, so the decision to explain how one works on the eve of its new truck being launched is curious timing, to say the least.

The most likely explanation, though one unconfirmed by Toyota at this point, is that the new LandCruiser 300 Series' diesel donk will be finding its way into the new Tundra, which would be a significant leap of faith from the Japanese giant when it comes to diesel acceptance in the USA, but would also strengthen the truck's key credentials – like towing –against its rivals.

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The video follows some big promises made about Toyota's incoming Tundra pick-up, with the brand promising a new drivetrain set to "blow you away".

The brand's North American Vice President of Sales, Bob Carter, told US outlet MotorTrend not just that the new engine "will blow you away", but also promised his company was "in it to win it" when it came to the big truck power wars.

"We have our concept and our own technology that I think you'll be impressed. We're in it to win it," Carter said.

All of which leads us neatly to the incoming GR HiLux, which we've long suspected will share the LC300's diesel engine, making it the most powerful diesel dual cab in the country.

Way back in 2018, Toyota went on the record as saying it would be looking for a "big diesel" to power a GR HiLux, suggesting a petrol engine wouldn't cut in a GR model. The problem, of course, is that no such engine existed. But that all changed with the launch of the LC300, which is home to a new and thumping V6 diesel that the brand has told us will make its way into other Toyota products.

If the Tundra does get the new V6 diesel engine, then that would pave the way for the rest of Toyota's ute family, including the GR HiLux.

Toyota is yet to officially confirm a GR HiLux, despite lodging an official trademark for the name inn Australia in January 2020, but CarsGuide understands a go-fast model is at best unlikely to arrive in the vehicle's current iteration, with the wait most likely to stretch until an all-new model is revealed, which will most likely occur in 2023-2024.