Toyota Australia keen on EV ute and LandCruiser

Toyota Australia says it would introduce both a battery-electric dual-cab 4x4 ute based on the Toyota EPU concept and a large off-road SUV based on the LandCruiser Se show car revealed at yesterday’s Japan Mobility Show.

Both models are based on a car-style unibody chassis rather than a ladder frame and neither the sub-HiLux electric ute nor the LandCruiser-dwarfing electric SUV have yet been confirmed for production, but Toyota Australia sales, marketing and franchise operations vice-president Sean Hanley has decreed he will be the first to put his hand up for their local release if and when that happens.

Speaking to carsales in Tokyo, Hanley said Toyota Australia is on a “carbon neutral journey” and would “never say no to anything that can help” the dominant Japanese brand achieve that goal.

“We have our [new federal] fuel emission standard that I expect will be sometime next year… and these cars are giving you a pointer to the fact that we’re ready,” he said.

“If these cars come into production, I can assure you Toyota Australia will be the first to put our hands up.”

Hanley was particularly smitten with the EPU pick-up, which he indicated was unlikely to change much in terms of design between now and its eventual arrival in Aussie showrooms, where it would have few rivals in the local absence of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – but would be aimed at families rather than tradies.

“Electric pick-up trucks are starting to emerge, but they're not small or affordable,” said Hanley in a likely reference to full-size US pick-ups and the pioneering $90K-plus LDV eT60. “Then here comes Toyota with a next-generation mid-sized ute concept, a practical yet stylish dual-cab with a monocoque body,” he said.

“I can’t comment about how close this concept might be to our dealer showrooms but… it looks like it could go into production with minimal changes.”

If you missed our original EPU report, the electric ute concept measures 5070mm long, 1910mm wide and 1710mm tall, making it noticeably smaller than a twin-cab HiLux, but the major difference is under the skin where you’ll find a monocoque platform as opposed to the traditional body-on-frame set-up.

The EPU’s 3350mm wheelbase is longer than the HiLux’s, however, it ought to be given it needs to house a battery capable of propelling it up to 725km on a single charge.

It’s the opposite way around for the Toyota LandCruiser Se, which is bigger than the 300 Series in every respect besides height and, like the EPU, is based around a monocoque platform instead of a separate ladder frame.

Hanley indicated the electric LandCruiser, which would be a rival for the upcoming Kia EV9, was a bit further away from its final form than the lifestyle ute it debuted alongside and hinted it could feature a segment-first tri-motor drivetrain.

“Toyota’s iconic off-road nameplate has more than 10 million sales globally… and today we’re seeing a glimpse of what the first electric LandCruiser could in fact look like,” he said.

“Toyota hasn’t said anything about whether this will go into production. It’s a concept vehicle as we see today, but it is a pointer to the future.

“It also provides the confidence to tackle that tougher terrain that we know exists in Australia.

“I’d assume that there would be at least two motors – it is the LandCruiser after all.”

Toyota Australia has committed to releasing an electrified version of every (non-GR) model in its range – including the LandCruiser – by 2030, following the launch of at least three EVs by 2026, and Hanley hasn’t ruled out the local launch of ladder-framed electric vehicles like the Revo BEV Concept ute, likely based on the next-gen HiLux due by 2025.

That means by the end of this decade Toyota buyers in Australia should have access to not only an all-new electric dual-cab 4x4 ute like the EPU, but an electric SUV like the LandCruiser Se and a hybrid, electric or even hydrogen powered version of the 300 Series, plus perhaps a HiLux EV.

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