The new Toyota HiLux is the perfect example of the problem with the modern car industry.
If you want to understand the challenges facing the car industry, as it tries to navigate the need to invest billions into electric vehicles and other technology, while maintaining a fleet of more popular internal combustion vehicles, the HiLux is it.
This is a critically important model for the Japanese giant, not just in Australia but in Thailand and other markets, and yet it cannot be called an ‘all-new’ model and could instead be labelled as a major facelift.
That’s because, underneath the new look front and rear, the bones of the HiLux remain the same. Which is the same story we had on the Camry, with a refreshed look the biggest change to an aging model. Though that was understandable for the Camry, as the sedan market continues to shrink.
But the HiLux is in the fight of its life, trying to put the Ford Ranger in its place, while staying ahead of a new breed of utes coming from highly-motivated Chinese brands. Toyota has a new ladder frame chassis, the so-called TNGA-F, which underpins the new LandCruiser, Prado and Tundra in Australia, as well as the Toyota Tacoma and 4runner in the US.
Instead, Toyota opted to stick with its ‘IMV’ platform which has underpinned the HiLux since 2004. While that obviously saves a lot of money, to be blunt this isn’t a vehicle that Toyota should be looking to cut corners on.
The HiLux continues to be locked in a head-to-head battle with the Ranger, not only to be Australia’s most popular ute, but also Australia’s best-selling new vehicle. In this fight, it’s advantage Ranger now.
If we rewind 15 years, which I know is a long time, but that was the year before Ford launched its Australian-developed ‘T6’ platform for the Ranger. In 2010 the HiLux crushed the Ranger in terms of sales, 39,896 compared to 14,686.
By introducing the locally-developed Ranger, Ford suddenly became the benchmark ute in Australia not only matching the HiLux for payload and towing, but offering noticeably improved ride and handling for the segment. Since then all other utes have been playing catch-up.
This was Toyota’s chance to not only play catch-up, but take a clear advantage over the Ranger with a HiLux that not only does all the tough stuff, but has better dynamic prowess and a more comfortable ride.
Obviously, we haven’t had a chance to drive the new HiLux yet and until we do we can’t definitively say it is still behind the Ranger, but given the age of the underpinnings there is only so much magic the engineers can weave to try and get the better of a platform that is eight years newer.
Is the HiLux going to be a sales flop? No chance. Toyota is too well-established to lose customers en masse, but what this ‘new’ HiLux is missing could hold it back from total sales supremacy.
I just can’t help feeling Toyota has missed a golden opportunity and it could hurt the brand in the long-run as new players and new technology emerges into the ute segment in the coming years. I, for one, will be watching with great interest…
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