New HiLux: Strategic error or masterstroke

Is the latest Toyota HiLux a strategic error or a masterstroke in product development?

Since it was unveiled in November, the ninth-generation version has courted debate and even backlash in some quarters for not changing enough.

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This is especially so considering the playing field is evolving with the advent of the successful BYD Shark 6 and its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain from China, swiftly followed by PHEV versions of the best-selling Ford Ranger and GWM Cannon Alpha.

And all this controversy over the latest HiLux is despite a full battery electric vehicle version affectionally dubbed ‘BEV’ with all-wheel drive joining the now-diesel-only range from early next year, breaking new ground for utes in Australia.

Toyota Motor Company Australia (TMCA) Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley said the company is delivering exactly what scores of traditional buyers want.

“The only feedback we’ve had is from the 3000 people who have ordered them (immediately following its November unveiling)!” he revealed to CarsGuide.

“So, guess I have to wait and see (where the dust settles). But whenever you change the design, there's always going to be commentary, and to be honest, we can only control what we control, right?

“We think we've got a great product and a good design, and it'll resonate with the people that drive and buy HiLuxes. There's always going to be those that love it and those that have another opinion.”

Hanley added the HiLux’s famous reliability, durability and high resale value are what’s important to the buyer base, while even the upcoming BEV version is a result of listening to specific big fleet companies and buyers who want an electric ute that can also be dependable, durable and capable.

The new HiLux is just one piece of a larger ute jigsaw puzzle for Toyota.

The larger, US-focused Tacoma has already been confirmed as being high on Hanley’s wishlist for a possible Australian release sometime over the next couple of years or so, to sit above the latest HiLux as a big, beefy flagship mid-sized ute. It rides on a variation of the much-more-contemporary TNGA architecture found underneath the latest Prado 4WD and LandCruiser 300 Series.

“Tacoma is certainly a vehicle we are interested in,” Hanley said.

“It could live side-by-side with HiLux. I think that's the diversity of the requirement of that particular segment and its customers. Hilux is not going away under any circumstance… it's what's plus alpha to it in that segment.”

And then there is the long-rumoured Corolla Cross crossover-based monocoque-bodied pick-up to sit as a sort of entry-level ute.

Currently carrying the HiLux Mini working title, it is set to slot in as a lifestyle-orientated recreational vehicle for adventurous urbanites. The EPU Concept from the 2023 Japan Mobility Show is a good indication of what its size and proportions may look like.

“When you do product strategy, you don't look at a year, you look at five to 10 (years),” Hanley added.

“What you're seeing today is the start of a five to 10-year horizon.”