New Toyota HiLux takes shape: Updated workhorse could bring plug-in hybrid power to battle 2026 Ford Ranger PHEV, BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha dual-cab utes

Toyota is brewing a new HiLux that it hopes will get it back on top.

The HiLux is showing its age and has been shown up by the far newer Ford Ranger in the past few years, so what is Toyota going to do about it?

The Japanese Magazine, Best Car, has the answer.

A new and improved version is coming next year, and changes might be small to start off with, but future updates will usher in monumental monumental tweaks in just a few short years.

It is expected to ride on the company’s TNGA-F platform, according to Best Car, which underpins the latest Prado and LandCruiser 300 Series.

This will bring a massive jump in capabilities and performance and open the door to fresh power sources.

It is expected to maintain the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel motor with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance found in the current HiLux initially, but the company has made no secret it is working on plug-in hybrid power.

It is likely too early for the company to install a plug-in hybrid set-up in the new HiLux at its launch, but it could follow in 2027.

Toyota Australia has previously said that from 2027 onwards is when the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) will really start to bite.

This law fines carmakers for every gram of CO2 its cars emit over a certain threshold. This threshold gets lower and lower every year until 2030, which opens the door to plug-in hybrid power to skirt under the legislation’s boundaries.

The company is targeting an EV-only driving range of 200km to make it practical, which could also translate to a driving range of more than 1000km on a single tank.

It is also likely the HiLux will get hydrogen power next decade, with the brand developing prototypes. The fuel is still in its infancy and the brand doesn’t see it becoming a regular source of energy until beyond 2030.

Spy shots of the new HiLux have started to surface, which show it will get new technology and materials in the cabin, a new front-end look and new lighting.

Best Car has produced some digital renderings to give us a glimpse of what they think the new HiLux will look like.

It also appears that Toyota is working on an electric ute, which was teased in a product presentation by Toyota Europe early this year.

That model is expected to be a production version of the EPU Concept shown at the 2023 Tokyo motor show.

It is not expected to share its underpinnings with the HiLux mentioned above, but will be an all-new vehicle.

The electric ute is expected to be SUV-based rather than supported by a rugged ladder frame used on the LandCruiser 300, Prado and likely the next-gen HiLux.

The all-new EV architecture has been engineered to support the long-awaited solid-state battery tech in time, as well as dual electric motors for four-wheel drive.

This multi-pronged approach means Toyota will have all bases covered in the ute market, with diesel, petrol-electric plug-in hybrid, full battery electric and potentially hydrogen options.

All this ties in nicely with Toyota’s multi-pathway approach, which doesn’t see one power source as the answer but a range of options to suit different conditions and markets.