Electric Hilux: Toyota’s Workhorse Finds a New Charge
Toyota has unveiled the ninth-generation Hilux in Thailand, and this time the brand’s indestructible pickup isn’t just about diesel rumble and mud. For the first time, the Hilux goes fully electric. Not as a far-fetched concept, but as a production-ready workhorse that carries the old-school grit into a new era.
The new Hilux keeps its 3085-millimetre wheelbase and measures 5320 millimetres from bumper to bumper. Width and height remain familiar at 1855 and 1800 millimetres. In other words, the ladder frame survives, even if what sits beneath it is entirely new: a 59.2 kWh lithium-ion battery feeding two electric motors. Together they deliver 196 horsepower and a range of more than 300 kilometres. The exact figure will come later, but Toyota insists this is still a truck built to work, not just a novelty for urban car parks.
Next year, the electric Hilux will be joined once again by a diesel heart. Rumour points to a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel producing a little over 200 horsepower, paired with an automatic gearbox. Yet Toyota’s most ambitious move is still to come: in 2028, a hydrogen-powered Hilux is expected to reach Europe, promising zero emissions and long-distance endurance, at least on paper.
Visually, the Hilux takes on a tougher, more angular stance. The electric version ditches the traditional grille and looks like a robot-built tool for serious work. Inside, practicality meets modern tech: a large central touchscreen, a classic gear lever, physical buttons, and a rotary drive-mode selector. The all-electric version feels more digital, while the diesel and upcoming hydrogen variants will retain a more mechanical, hands-on character.
Despite the electric shift, the Hilux’s essence remains untouched: rugged, simple, capable. Keeping the same platform was no accident. Toyota knows its customers don’t want to relearn their tool of choice, just trust it in a new form.
The electric Hilux also signals a broader change in the world of work vehicles. Until now, electric pickups have been an American game, with players like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T. Toyota is bringing the concept into Asian and European reality. If the hydrogen Hilux truly arrives in 2028, it could reshape not just the future of Hilux itself, but the entire utilitarian mobility class.
With this move, Toyota positions itself as both cautious and forward-looking, offering a sustainable work truck that refuses to forget its roots. Yes, the Hilux may drive more quietly now, but its message is the same as ever.
