Toyota Stout Reviews

Chinese electric car maker BYD is following a secret five-year massive growth plan, which will see it sell half its vehicles overseas by 2030. This will make it a vehicle manufacturer on the same scale as Toyota and Volkswagen, according to a new report.The report by news outlet Reuters cites four people “familiar with the matter” who said BYD’s executives have committed to an ambitious strategy, which will see the electric vehicle brand undergo such an enormous output and sales increase that the company will rival even the world’s largest car manufacturers.BYD has just become the largest selling brand in its home country of China, overtaking Volkswagen last year with 4.27 million units sold.Last year BYD sold 417,204 vehicles overseas and this year the company plans to double that number to 800,000.  The Reuters report revealed BYD met privately with the company's investors to notify them of the growth plan, but it is not known if an actual 2030 predicted sales figure was disclosed.According to the insiders the way that the company wants to be able to achieve their grand plan is by localising production throughout the world. The plan outlines the need to have factories operating in Hungary, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Thailand in order to be able achieve its goal.BYD’s global growth plan will not include the United States, where recent high tariffs against Chinese carmakers have prevented the brand selling its cars there and made the company focus on Europe as the key to its success. Australia, too, will be part of BYD’s plan. Currently Australia doesn’t impose tariffs on Chinese carmakers and this combined with our fairly new and strong interest in electric cars has seen a multitude of Chinese brands arrive here offering what the established mainstream brands could not — very affordable electric cars.  This includes brands such as Geely, Zeekr, MG and Deepal.In April this year alone BYD sold 3207 in Australia, outstripping even Volkswagen with 2076 sales by an enormous margin. And all of BYD’s cars are electric or hybrids.BYD, which started as a battery maker before turning its hand to producing vehicles, arrived in Australia in 2022 with its first EV, the Atto 3 small SUV. The brand soon brought more vehicles to Australia including the Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 and the Shark 6. 

Why Toyota thinks it can keep its lead over BYD.

What is the best car to drive for a ride hailing service like Uber, Ola and Didi? Well, we thought we’d give you our two cents. Not only are we car experts and have driven thousands of new vehicles but we also spend a surprising amount of time sitting in the back of ride share cars talking to drivers. 

Where on earth is the Toyota Tacoma for Australia?Designed and developed expressly for the North American market, the series has served for over 30 years as the slightly larger and more comfortable cousin to the venerable Toyota HiLux.In fact, the two medium-sized utes were closely related until very recently, even as the Tacoma grew larger and more sophisticated over three generations, where it became the best-selling vehicle in its pick-up segment in the United States – a position held since 2004.Unveiled in 2023, the latest version prompted a high level of anticipation from industry analysts, since it was also expected to become the replacement for the eighth-gen HiLux, which celebrates its 10 anniversary this month.After all, the Tacoma’s timing was spot-on, with the newly-redesigned Ford Ranger ending the Toyota ute’s seven-year reign at the top of the Australian sales charts that same year (and hit number one again in 2024).It doesn’t take too much to figure out why people remain excited about the prospect of a HiLux-badged Tacoma for our market.Key attributes include a formidable presence brought about by its chunky styling, a vast array of grades including a Raptor-aping TRD Pro, huge interior space, sizeable load area, massive step up in safety technology and the availability of a hybrid powertrain option.The Tacoma trails Australia’s 3500kg braked towing capacity maximum yardstick by around 500kg, based on corresponding Canadian figures.That would probably change for our market, especially when you consider that today’s Tacoma is based on the same Toyota New Global Architecture – Frame (TNGA-F) body-on-frame “truck” platform that also underpins the J300 LandCruiser and J250 Prado 4WD SUVs.It is that connection that prompted much speculation over when – rather than if – the Tacoma would arrive in Australia, albeit wearing HiLux badges and possibly having Thai sourcing. After all, if they’re that closely related, wouldn’t they have interchangeable parts with models already offered in this market?As it turns out, Toyota will instead offer three distinctly different medium-sized utes – and it seems Australia will again miss out on the Tacoma after all… or at least, for now.Though unconfirmed officially, we hear from an internal source that a facelifted version of the existing, decade-old Mk8 HiLux will spearhead Toyota’s fight against the Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and co. from next year in Australia.About the only part of the Tacoma – which will remain North American only for the time being – we may see is a variation of its 2.4-litre i-Force turbo-petrol/electric hybrid powertrain, as it has been rumoured to be added to the HiLux facelift, as Toyota Australia starts its move away from diesel.Finally, as outlined previously, Europe, Japan and other lower-carbon regions are set to score the production version of the EPU (Electric Pick-Up) Concept Ute electric vehicle from the 2023 Tokyo Mobility show, though that’s also mooted for Australia too, as a flagship HiLux EV.So, what’s holding the Tacoma back for us?Mainly, it is only produced in Mexico, with annual capacity of around 250,000. And that’s about how many are soaked up in North America alone.Secondly – and this is a major reason – the Tacoma is only currently manufactured in left-hand drive (LHD) guise. And changing that makes no business sense.Typically, engineering for right-hand drive (RHD) in any vehicle program can add hundreds of millions of dollars to costs, and that appears not to have happened in this case. And it's not likely to in the future.Why? Even if Toyota could sell over 50,000 utes annually to match HiLux’s efforts last year in Australia – and that would possibly make us the fictional RHD Tacoma's largest market globally – that’s not nearly enough production volume to recoup development costs.That was reportedly one of the driving forces behind General Motors killing Holden barely two years after local manufacturing ceased in 2017, as there just wasn’t enough volume to justify the expense of changing LHD vehicles over to RHD for Australia. Even for a colossus like Toyota.Additionally, while the UK is another big RHD ute market for the brand, shifting around 30,000 HiLuxes last year, that's still not enough volume, while the vast majority of South African and Thai ute sales - the two remaining big RHD countries – are for more-affordable and lower-spec models. And cheap is not what any TNGA-F vehicle is designed to be.That’s probably the reason why the Tacoma is not earmarked to be built in Thailand, for now anyway. The existing HiLux fills that role far better.Thirdly, should it be green lit for RHD, the Tacoma would also be too expensive even in Australia, anyway, given its Mexican sourcing.This means the cheapest grade would probably cost a lot more than the current most expensive HiLux out of Thailand does. Which, by the way, is also where the Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton also hail from, while the Shark 6, GWM Cannon, LDV Terron 9 and others from China cost even less for what they offer.Tacoma would have no hope matching their prices. The upshot here is that achieving something close to the current HiLux's 50,000 sales annually in Australia would be wildly optimistic as a result.Lastly, with Tacoma sales in the first quarter of 2025 up nearly 180 per cent year-on-year in the USA, there is no incentive for Toyota to compromise production capacity to accommodate the relatively small volume required for Australia.Of course, this could change with the US federal government’s tariffs on non-US made products, that might lead to big price increases for the Tacoma in its main market.While still highly unlikely, that might open the door for RHD exports should US Tacoma sales consequently collapse, though these are still early days.That’s a long shot, and it’s fair to assume that the only way Australians might be able to buy a reasonably-priced Tacoma is if Toyota decides to add production to Thailand, or some other lower-cost base than Mexico. Or follow the larger Tundra ute’s example by having it remanufactured from LHD to RHD in Melbourne.So, no Tacoma-based HiLux, then.Which is a shame, as a ute version of the latest Prado – which what the latest, N400 model essentially is, complete with an i-Force petrol-electric hybrid powertrain – would sound like the HiLux that Toyota should be offering to its fanatically loyal Australian customer base.Do you agree?

The popularity of one the most controversial vehicles types in Australia has plummeted so far in 2025, with sales of American-style jumbo trucks like the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra and Ram 1500 driving off a cliff.Loved by those who buy them, but ridiculed by plenty who don't, the big trucks have been accused of being "big, dumb utes" that exploit tax loopholes by The Australia Institute, been threatened with higher parking charges, and been flagged by some MPs as candidates for higher registration fees.And now sales are hurting. Some 640 examples of the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford F150, Ram 1500, Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 were sold across Australia in April, bringing the group's year-to-date tally to 3010.That's down 26.2 per cent on the single month result in April 2024 (867 sales), while the year to date total has fallen 13.8 per cent, from 3490 over the first four months of 2024.But because, at this time last year, Toyota was delivering very few Tundras as part of a customer testing program, their results (up 171.4 per cent month-on-month and 99.3 per cent year to date) are actually propping up the segment's percentages. Remove the Tundra sales, and the segment for the remaining brands has actually fallen 32.7 per cent month on month, and 18.8 per cent year to date.Interestingly, the numbers in 2025 are even smaller than in 2023 (787 month and 3043 year to date), despite there only being four models in market then, compared to the seven being sold today.It spells hard news for all brands, with significant remanufacturing investment required to convert the models from left- to right-hand drive, but perhaps none more so than Toyota, who – after a six-year program to develop the vehicle for Australia – only put the Tundra on sale in November last year.At the time, media was told production was being ramped up to five vehicles per day, or up to 110 per month and 1300 vehicles annually. Last month, just 76 found homes, pushing the year-to-date tally to 299 vehicles - an average of 74 per month, or 888 annually, should the trend continue all year.We asked Toyota about the Tundra's slow start in February, and the brand told us "It’s very early days, but we are pleased with the response to Tundra since its official launch in the middle of November. Our forward orders are in line with our forecasts and we look forward to expanding the line up with the introduction of a new premium grade in Q2 2025."Clearly it's not just Toyota struggling to move the big trucks at the moment. The most popular Ram, the 1500, was down 18.1 per cent for the month and 24.9 per cent year to date, the Chevrolet Silverado was done 18.3 per cent for the month (but is up six per cent for the year), the Ford F-150 is down 69.9 per cent for the month and 35.9 per cent for the year.

Long the domain of first-car buyers and suburbanites winding down on their driving years, the Toyota Yaris is now hybrid-only, and is a far cry from the $15,000-or-so cheap and cheerful staple it once was.Does more than $30,000 of light hatch really feel worth it once you're behind the wheel, or are you better off pocketing almost $10,000 to save on one of the thinning pack of rivals?

Toyota Australia has detailed a mid-life update for its Corolla Cross small hybrid SUV ahead of its arrival in local showrooms in the second half of 2025.

Toyota has announced a suite of safety upgrades to its Yaris hatchback and small Yaris Cross SUV in exchange for modest price rises across both car's line-ups.Starting at the new price of $28,990 before on-road costs for the entry Ascent Sport, all three Yaris grades, including the SX and ZR, now carry a low-speed acoustic vehicle alert system that warns drivers when it is using electric power.All three variants now also use R1234yf refrigerant for the climate control system, which emits substantially lower greenhouse gases compared to the outgoing R134a.The Ascent Sport also adds a parking support brake that activates autonomously when reversing if a crossing vehicle, object or pedestrian is detected and there is a collision risk, while the SX gains the same 16-inch wheels as the ZR.No changes have been made to the Yaris’ 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol-hybrid powertrain, which delivers 85kW to the front wheels.The Yaris Cross Hybrid receives the same improvements to its safety systems, including a parking support brake for the entry GX, an acoustic vehicle alert system across the board, as well as R1234yf refrigerant.The GX grade also adds a heating function for its exterior door mirrors.Power continues to be sourced from the same hybrid system as the Yaris, while all-wheel-drive versions add an additional rear electric motor generator (4kW/52Nm) to add extra traction in slipperier conditions.As before, customers can opt for premium paint for an additional $575 or two-tone paint (Urban and GR Sport variants only) for $1350.Toyota has sold 980 units of its Yaris Hybrid as of April, which is considerably fewer than the MG MG3 (3779), Mazda2 (1855) and Suzuki Swift (1275), despite seeing a 39.6 per cent increase in sales.The Yaris Cross Hybrid, meanwhile, continues to challenge the Mazda CX-3 (5390) after registering 3849 sales as of April, a 49.1 per cent year-to-date increase.

The little Yugo hatchback made by now long-gone Serbian brand Zastava Automobili appears to be making a return to a market that's increasingly being dominated by new Chinese brands, and in another twist, it won't be electric.Made from 1980 to 2008 the Yugo was popular in the United States, India, Egypt and Eastern Europe. The little car was also sold in Australia before Zastava Automobili ended operations.The Yugo brand, however, has been bought by German university professor, Dr Alexander Bjelic, who plans to resurrect the small hatch that's yet to be named.While a production version is still far off, Dr Bjelic used the recent 2025 Munich Car Design Event to show off a concept version. The catch is, it's a tiny scale model in a plastic box for now with Dr Bjelic aiming to have a full-size prototype ready for the 2027 Belgrade Expo. The model shows off the little hatch’s retro-cool looks with a modern twist on the Yugo hatch. The futuristic looks may be reminiscent of a tiny version of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric SUV, but Yugo says its upcoming car will be powered by an internal combustion engine. The brand said an electric variant may also become available at a later point.The original Yugo hatch was known for its affordability but had a poor reputation for reliability and build quality. While the car was sold in Australia along with 76 other countries, it's uncertain whether the resurrected version will be sold in Australia.If the Yugo hatch did make it Down Under it would be up against fierce tiny rivals such as Volkswagen's Polo, the Skoda Fabia, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Swift, MG3 and Mazda2.Still, if Yugo can price the car lower than its competitors and arrive with a design that looks as good as the concept then it could be onto a winner. 

Toyota is reportedly set to roll out a mid-life update to its Corolla Cross small SUV in Japan that brings fresh looks and the addition of a new GR Sport variant.