The Toyota Status of the group on 2025 Tokyo Motor Show There were plenty of talking points – including a six-wheeled Lexus, new Century concepts and a radical reinterpretation of the Corolla – but there were also a variety of van concepts.
Perhaps the most ready for production and certainly the most relevant for Australians was the HiAce concept.
There were several variants of the HiAce Concept at the Toyota stand. One was set up as a rolling medical center with a comfortable green couch, a large screen for a virtual physician assistant, and a swivel passenger chair that doubled as an exam chair.
There are also rooms inside for storing medical supplies, including oxygen, sonography equipment and first aid equipment. A display bar on the passenger door shows the waiting time and the next train.
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The other van on display had a lower roof and a shorter wheelbase. It was designed as a work vehicle with two sliding rear doors, a shelf on one side and only a single seat for the driver.
Both vehicles have front doors that open up to 90 degrees and solid sliding doors at the rear. On the passenger side, there is no B-pillar between the front and rear doors, making it easier to load and unload large items on the side of the road.
There’s also a full-width infotainment and instrument display at the bottom of the windshield, as well as a simple dashboard console with physical climate control, transmission shifter and a flat-bottomed two-spoke steering wheel. Fabric is used for the dashboard, steering wheel and seats.
Storage compartments, holders and panels are located in the area in front of the dashboard console and in the space in front of the front passenger.
Toyota didn’t provide any details about the HiAce Concept’s powertrain, but the vehicle’s forward-facing design, short hood and raised, flat floor suggest an electric powertrain.
In addition to the full-size HiAce Concept, Toyota also introduced a smaller one Kayoibako Transporter with sliding front and rear doors.
The similarly sized ones BUILD also features sliding front and rear doors, but is designed for autonomous taxi fleets rather than transporting goods or equipment. On the roof there is a sensor housing that enables autonomous driving, a spacious cabin without driving controls and a sofa-like back seat.
There was an even smaller Kei-class Daihatsu Kayoibako-K Van with a single large sliding door on the passenger side and a normal front-hinged door for the driver with a sliding door behind.
The dashboard appears to have been lifted directly from the HiAce Concept, although the two-spoke steering wheel has been replaced with an aircraft-style fork and the full-width display has been traded in favor of a smartphone holder.
The HiAce concept was originally intended to be branded as the largest of the Kayoibako concepts. It’s unclear whether this late change is due to the HiAce concept’s production intent, a matter of practicality, or something else.
With the current sixth generation HiAce launching in 2019, it is unclear when a new generation HiAce will arrive. The previous two generations each remained in production for at least 15 years before being replaced.
In fact, the fifth generation with the cab design is still manufactured and sold in Japan and select Southeast Asian countries.
If the HiAce Concept is indeed electric and goes into production, it could be sold as a complement to the current petrol and diesel range.
MORE: Explore the Toyota HiAce showroom
