Tag Archives: Toyota

NEW CARS

Toyota’s Upcoming Compact Pickup: What We Know So Far

For decades, Toyota has built its reputation in the U.S. truck market on the back of the Tacoma’s off-road cred and the Tundra’s full-size muscle. Now, the automaker is officially preparing to shrink things down. A new compact pickup—slotted beneath the Tacoma—is in development, and Toyota has confirmed it’s not a matter of if, but when.

The news comes straight from Toyota North America’s head of planning and strategy, Cooper Ericksen, who told MotorTrend in May 2025 that the project is underway. Timing has been the biggest hurdle, with Toyota focused on pushing its hybrid and EV lineup forward, but the truck is finally on the horizon. Expect a debut closer to 2027, with a possible concept reveal in 2026.

What’s in a Name?

Toyota hasn’t revealed a name, but speculation is running high. Hilux—a legendary global nameplate—wouldn’t make much sense for the U.S. market, where it’s tied to rugged mid-size trucks. A stronger candidate is Stout, a historic light-duty Toyota truck from the ’50s. Toyota even trademarked the name in Argentina in 2022, suggesting it could be staging a comeback.

Under the Skin

Unlike the Tacoma or Tundra, Toyota’s compact pickup won’t ride on a body-on-frame chassis. Instead, it’s expected to adopt a unibody layout built on the TNGA architecture. Early rumors pointed to the Corolla’s TNGA-C platform, but that may be too tight for a truck. A more likely choice is the TNGA-K—the same bones that support the Camry, RAV4, and Highlander.

That setup would deliver a stronger foundation for towing and payload (the RAV4 already manages 3,500 pounds) while offering more cabin space than a Corolla-based build could.

Design Cues: Baby Tacoma?

Don’t expect the new truck to look like a Corolla with a bed. Toyota is reportedly borrowing styling from its bigger pickups: trapezoidal grille, squared-off headlights, chunky fenders, and pronounced wheel arches. A TRD Pro version seems inevitable, with lifted suspension and off-road goodies. A street-oriented, lower-riding variant could also be in the cards, targeting Maverick’s city-friendly appeal.

Inside the Cabin

Where the Tacoma goes rugged, this smaller truck will likely lean carlike. Expect interiors that echo the RAV4 and Camry—clean, tech-heavy, and user-friendly—rather than the chunky knobs and grab handles of Toyota’s larger trucks. Standard Toyota Safety Sense driver aids will almost certainly be part of the package.

Hybrid Power Only

Toyota’s new truck is all but certain to go hybrid-only. Ericksen has made it clear that the company sees hybrids as the sweet spot for efficiency and affordability, especially as EV costs remain high. Look for the RAV4’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid setup, producing between 226 and 236 hp depending on drivetrain.

There’s also the tantalizing possibility of a RAV4 Prime–sourced plug-in hybrid, cranking out 320 hp. If Toyota drops that into the compact truck, it would instantly take the crown as the most powerful in its class—leapfrogging both the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

Pricing and Positioning

Pricing will be key. The Maverick starts just below $30,000, the Santa Cruz just above. The new Toyota will need to thread the needle between those rivals and the larger Tacoma, which kicks off at $33,085. That suggests a base price in the $30K range, with loaded trims climbing to around $45,000.

The Road Ahead

If you’re itching to put down a deposit, you’ll have to wait. Toyota doesn’t plan to bring this truck to showrooms until at least 2027, and resources for an earlier launch just weren’t there. But if the Maverick’s popularity proves anything, it’s that buyers are hungry for practical, affordable, compact trucks.

Toyota is late to the game, but when its contender finally arrives, it could easily be the most compelling option in the segment.

Source: Toyota

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Toyota’s Hybrid Gamble Is Paying Off Big Time

While most automakers sprinted headfirst into the EV race, Toyota stuck to its guns. The Japanese giant doubled down on hybrids, sprinkled in EVs where they made sense, and kept trucks and SUVs at the core of its North American playbook. Now, the results are clear: Toyota just logged its best July ever, eclipsing 900,000 sales worldwide.

The exact number? A staggering 963,796 vehicles sold across Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino. That figure represents not only Toyota’s resilience but also its unique read on global market trends.

North America Still King

Toyota’s bread and butter remains the U.S. and Canada, where it moved 254,298 vehicles in July. Hybrids like the Camry and RAV4 continue to drive showroom traffic, while trucks—the redesigned Tacoma and the ever-popular 4Runner—add volume and margin. Nearly half of Toyota’s North American sales this year—over 800,000 units—are electrified in some form.

Strong Showings Everywhere Else

In Europe, where many automakers are bleeding market share, Toyota posted year-over-year growth. Even China, an infamously hostile environment for foreign brands, saw Toyota notch 151,669 sales, leaning on the locally built bZ3X EV and a robust hybrid mix. At home in Japan, the company held steady with 135,249 cars sold, proving domestic demand hasn’t wavered.

Add it all up, and Toyota has sold more than 6 million vehicles through July 2025. Of those, roughly 2.9 million were electrified—mostly hybrids, but also plug-in hybrids and EVs. The EV numbers are still small (just under 100,000 full battery-electrics this year), but July marked Toyota’s best BEV month yet with nearly 18,000 units sold globally.

Akio Toyoda’s Vindication

When Akio Toyoda, the company’s outspoken chairman and former CEO, resisted the industry-wide rush to go all-in on EVs, critics called him a laggard. Today, as EV demand cools in many markets, his “hybrid-first” strategy looks more like foresight than foot-dragging. Toyota is not ignoring EVs—it’s expanding offerings like the bZ lineup—but it’s hedging with hybrids, a bet that seems remarkably well-timed.

And now, the next chapter is already underway. The Camry and RAV4 will go hybrid-only, a move that signals Toyota’s confidence in its formula: electrify at scale, but don’t abandon what customers actually want.

For now, it’s hard to argue with the results. Toyota isn’t just selling cars—it’s selling the industry a reality check.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

Toyota Camry Sprint: Sporty Looks, Same Sensible Soul

Remember when the Toyota Camry was the poster child for sensible car buying? It was the one your accountant uncle drove to the office, the one your parents bought because “it’ll last forever,” and the one you forgot was even parked in your driveway because it blended into the background like a beige filing cabinet.

Well, that same Camry is still alive and kicking, despite SUVs having eaten everyone’s lunch over the past decade. In fact, Toyota flogged nearly 600,000 of them in 2024. That’s more cars than most brands manage across their entire lineup. Clearly, the Camry is still the default setting for the world’s middle managers.

But in India, Toyota thinks the Camry could do with a little more… spice. Enter the Camry Sprint Edition, a car that looks like it’s just binge-watched Fast & Furious and ordered a matte-black wrap at 2am.

The Sprint Edition takes the regular hybrid Camry and slaps on a Matte Black hood, roof, pillars, and bootlid, so the thing suddenly looks like it’s trying out for the role of “mildly intimidating Uber Black.” You can pair this stealthy two-tone with one of five rather dramatic paint jobs—think Emotional Red (that’s actually the name, not a Tinder bio), Cement Grey, or a very moody Dark Blue Metallic.

To complete the transformation, Toyota’s local arm—Toyota Kirloskar Motor—has bolted on a new set of black alloys, added a lip spoiler, and given it bumper extensions that make it look angrier than it really is. From some angles, it’s almost convincing. From others, you’re reminded this is still a Camry—a car whose wildest party trick is offering ventilated seats.

And here’s the rub: while it looks friskier, the mechanical bits are completely unchanged. Underneath, it’s the same 2.5-litre hybrid, churning out a respectable but hardly thrilling 227hp and sending it all to the front wheels only. So, despite the “Sprint” badge, don’t expect Nürburgring lap times—this Camry’s idea of a sprint is probably just overtaking a tuk-tuk.

Still, the equipment list is nothing to sneeze at. Dual 12.3-inch screens? Check. 360-degree cameras? Check. Head-up display, wireless charging, ventilated thrones, and the full Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 nanny system? All present and accounted for. Basically, you’re getting a luxury car dressed up as a sporty one.

The kicker? The Sprint Edition costs ₹48.50 lakh (around $55k)—the exact same as the boringly named Hybrid Elegant trim. Which means you can pick: do you want your Camry to look like it’s sipping tea at the golf club, or like it’s sneaking out at night to race a Honda City? Either way, your wallet takes the same hit.

So, is the Sprint Edition revolutionary? Of course not. But it does prove that even the most sensible, beige, dad-spec sedan can have a go at dressing up for the party. The Camry may never be a Supra, but at least now, it’s not just your uncle’s car—it could be your uncle’s car with a matte-black hood and a secret Instagram account.

Source: Toyota Kirloskar Motor