Toyota Tacoma ute: Australian future still in play

Toyota hasn’t ruled out bringing the Tacoma to Australia in the future, with the North American pickup potentially slotting between the HiLux and Tundra in the brand’s lineup.

Speaking to CarExpert at the launch of the new HiLux, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said the brand is constantly looking at overseas models to see what might suit local buyers.

“We’re a global company, so there’s more than one way for us to bring product to market,” Mr Hanley said.

“The great thing is, we can look all around the globe, including the US. We can look over there – Europe, wherever, Africa, you know, all these different places – and say, oh, that looks like a good offering. Maybe we could bring that here.”

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For several years, unconfirmed reports suggested the previous HiLux would be replaced with an all-new model, based on the same TNGA platform as the Tacoma.

However, Toyota instead chose to release a new HiLux based on the outgoing version, with new styling, a new interior, and upgrades to suspension and technology.

Confirming the Tacoma wouldn’t replace the HiLux in the foreseeable future, Mr Hanley revealed the company was considering vehicles to add to its own portfolio from global markets.

“What I’m saying is, there’s all these other great and exciting options that we can look at.”

While Mr Hanley stopped short of naming the Tacoma directly, the senior Toyota Australia executive has been on record in the past declaring his love for the pickup – currently produced solely in left-hand drive – and has publicly admitted the vehicle has been on the company’s radar for a long time.

Released in 2023, the current Tacoma is powered by a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine making 170kW and 329Nm in the base model, with up to 207kW and 430Nm for higher grades.

A hybrid version is also available, with 243kW and 630Nm, thanks to a 36kW electric motor fed from a 1.87kWh battery.

Meanwhile, the latest Toyota HiLux has had its smaller petrol and diesel engines dropped from the range, with the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine now fitted across the lineup.

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