Toyota tests EV Hilux in Thailand
Toyota Motor is testing the new battery-electric Hilux pickup truck to assess its performance in different conditions as the car maker prepares to manufacture the vehicle in Thailand by the end of 2025, an executive says.
Pickup trucks make up more than half of all vehicle sales in Thailand, a critical market for Toyota where it has a large manufacturing base. It has been flooded by a wave of Chinese electric vehicle makers.
“Our intention is to be producing the Hilux BEV over here,” Pras Ganesh, executive vicepresident of Toyota Motor Asia said on the sidelines of the Future Mobility Asia summit, referring to the battery-electric vehicle. He declined to provide details on pricing or production volume for the Hilux BEV, which will be Toyota’s first EV pickup truck offering.
Rival Japanese carmaker Isuzu also planned to manufacture its electric D-MAX pickup truck in Thailand, the Thai government said in March.
The vehicle will be primarily aimed at the Thai domestic market, but Ganesh said the carmaker would also consider exporting the Hilux BEV.
Toyota is testing the Hilux BEV for multiple-use cases in varying conditions.
“The more range I have to put on it, the more battery I have to put on it, which means the weight of the vehicle also becomes significantly heavier, which means the loading can be much less,” Ganesh said.
Trailing EV industry leaders Tesla and China’s BYD, Toyota has profited from rising demand for hybrid vehicles as more consumers are embracing petrolelectric hybrids, the company’s traditional strength.
Ganesh said Toyota expected hybrid sales to grow in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, where it faces rising competition in the segment from cost-competitive rivals.