The new turbodiesel 2026 Toyota HiLux An electric variant will be added in 2026, but the company has also confirmed that a hybrid variant is being considered for the future.
“We’re definitely looking into it,” said Rodney Lyons, senior product planning specialist at Toyota Australia Daily Sparkz when asked about the possibility of a hybrid HiLux.
“(We’re constantly) looking at future powertrains. So I don’t want to confirm anything, but we’re always looking at those things.”
However, the decision to launch an electric HiLux ahead of a hybrid vehicle could be seen as a contradiction to the company’s widely touted philosophy, which typically prioritizes hybrids over electric vehicles (EVs).
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
Toyota has historically highlighted the advantages of hybrid vehicles over electric vehicles, claiming that there is a greater benefit to reducing emissions from 90 cars than just selling a single electric vehicle – with the amount of raw battery materials required being roughly the same.
“(Manufacturing hybrid vehicles) allows us to reduce exhaust emissions from 90 cars, rather than focusing on a single car, which in many cases is powered by coal-generated electricity – not to mention impractical for the vast majority of Australian motorists,” Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley told the media in October 2023.
“Currently, hybrid electric vehicles are a better fit for most consumers than (battery electric vehicles),” he said at the time.
“They are cheaper and do not require any charging infrastructure.”
While Toyota hasn’t explained its decision to prioritize an electric version over a hybrid in the case of the latest HiLux, any future hybrid ute is likely to be limited to a double cab body style.
Mr. Lyons told Daily Sparkz The reason Toyota only offers 48-volt mild hybrid technology on some of its turbodiesel models is because the battery must be housed under the rear seats, which virtually rules out single cab and auxiliary cab models.
While current mild hybrid technology – which it calls “V-Active” – uses a small battery, it’s likely that a traditional hybrid powertrain will also require the battery to be mounted in the same location.
“The main reason V-Active is only used on 4×4 double cabs is because the battery is positioned in the cab to protect it from water and then sits under the rear seat, so there is no storage space in a single or auxiliary cab,” Mr Lyons said.
“In most Toyota hybrids, the hybrid battery is likely to be located in the passenger compartment to protect it from the environment.”
With the addition of a future hybrid HiLux, the technology could also be combined with a 2.0-litre petrol engine – similar to the Corolla Cross and C-HR’s powertrains – rather than the ute’s current 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine.
Toyota has dispensed with the 2.4-liter turbodiesel and 2.7-liter gasoline engine in the latest HiLux and instead offers the 2.8-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder with and without mild hybrid support.
MORE: Explore the Toyota HiLux showroom
