Toyota compact truck announced for Brazil, U.S. next?

In a dealer meeting for the Brazil market, a Toyota compact truck was announced as a Ford Maverick competitor. Is the U.S. market next on the list?

Toyota compact truck announced

According to Motor1 Argentina, the automaker announced it will debut its long-awaited compact pickup truck in 2027. This monocoque-structured vehicle, equipped with a hybrid engine, will be positioned just below the Hilux manufactured in Argentina. This falls in line with reports we heard in 2023 from Automotive News that a compact truck was on the horizon.

The new pickup will be based on the EPU Concept, revealed in October 2023, and will share the Corolla’s platform along with advanced hybrid engines. The lineup is set to include a more powerful option and a 4×4 variant. This project is part of a $2.2 billion investment Toyota announced for Brazil earlier this year.

Toyota’s compact pickup will compete in a growing segment alongside models like the Fiat Toro, Chevrolet Montana, Ram Rampage and Ford Maverick—the latter being the only hybrid option currently available. Additionally, other manufacturers are entering the hybrid compact pickup market. In Argentina, Renault and Nissan are preparing hybrid pickups based on the Niagara Concept, while Volkswagen plans to produce the Tarok Project-based compact pickup in Brazil.

The initiative includes developing a new family of hybrid engines and updating the TNGA platform used by the current-generation Corolla. Although the EPU Concept was initially presented as a fully electric pickup, the platform will be adapted for hybrid engines to better meet the needs of the Latin American market.

Toyota’s new engine family, dubbed PHEV-FFV, will support conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and engines capable of running on gasoline or ethanol. The foundation for this innovation is the 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine currently found in the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid. This engine produces 182 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque and works in tandem with two electric motors—one on the front axle (180 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque) and another on the rear axle (53 horsepower and 89 pound-feet of torque)—delivering a combined output of 302 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid system, with an 18.1 kWh battery, offers a pure-electric range of up to 42 miles when fully charged.

Production of the new hybrid engines has already commenced at Toyota’s Porto Feliz plant.

Our take

The Ford Maverick, and the Hyundai Santa Cruz, have been game changers in the truck segment flipping the script on what a traditional truck looks like as well as adding customers who had never considered a truck before.

This news also bodes well for people who want such a truck in the U.S. since Toyota often shares vehicles globally to maximize research and development and marketing costs.

How likely then is the Toyota compact truck coming to the U.S.? It is probably not a question of if, but a question of when.