“The Toyota Hilux would bankrupt Ford and Chevy” sounds more like an online forum hot take than any kind of credible automotive forecast. But gearheads love a good argument, and buried inside a recent fairly exaggerated TikTok slide is a real question: What would happen if American buyers suddenly had access to one of the world’s most famous work trucks?
In the post viewed more than 1.3 million times, creator Hito (@wilkin_cruz) kept things simple and then ceded the floor to online commenters, who wasted no time weighing in with seemingly every opinion possible about the demand among truck fans for a no-frills, relatively affordable pickup like the Hilux. The debate also spread to whether US. buyers have been asking for exactly the kind of truck the market no longer offers very often.
One viewer cut straight to the point: “I would [expletive] love a Hilux here.” Another took the opposite view, arguing that while the Hilux is a great truck, American buyers have largely shown that they want “a luxury SUV with a bed on it.”
That position drew plenty of dissent, with another commenter arguing, “You couldn’t be more wrong. We don’t need $80k trucks.”
Others pointed to the Ford Maverick as evidence that there’s still a market for smaller, less expensive pickups, with one viewer arguing that plenty of buyers would gladly give up some equipment if it meant buying a genuinely affordable truck.
The idea that widespread availability of the Hilux would actually bankrupt Ford or Chevrolet is hard to take literally. But the enthusiasm around a truck Americans mostly know only by reputation and auto enthusiast folk tales raises a natural question: Why can’t someone who wants a newer Hilux simply bring one over and find out?
Explaining The ‘25-Year Rule’
That’s where the “25 year rule” mentioned repeatedly in the comments comes in.
Under federal law, a vehicle that wasn’t originally manufactured and certified to meet US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards generally can’t be permanently imported here if it’s less than 25 years old. Once a vehicle reaches that age, however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allows it to be imported without requiring compliance with those original federal safety standards.
One commenter explained that a vehicle built for another market generally has to age into eligibility before it can be brought here without going through the normal compliance process.
Important caveat: the 25-year rule doesn’t specifically stop Toyota from selling a new Hilux in the United States. It’s mostly aimed at individuals trying to import a foreign-market truck that was never certified for US. sale.
An auto manufacturer, especially a proven one like Toyota, can sell a new vehicle here if it meets the applicable federal standards and is properly certified. NHTSA notes that conforming vehicles bearing the required certification don’t need special agency approval before importation.
Gallery: 2026 Toyota DKR GR Hilux
A Look At The Chicken Tax
The mystery of the Hilux’s absence is more complicated than simply blaming “that 25 year rule.” The real question is why Toyota has never chosen to make the modern Hilux a U.S.-market truck in the first place.
One of the biggest reasons is that imported light trucks have long faced a 25% U.S. tariff commonly known as the “Chicken Tax.” That levy makes it less attractive to ship Hiluxes from overseas factories to American dealerships.
There’s also the fact that Toyota already offers the Tacoma that was designed, engineered and assembled specifically for North America.
That strategy seems to have worked pretty well. The Tacoma had its best sales year ever in 2025 and extended its run as the best-selling midsize pickup in the US to 21 consecutive years.
So it’s time to pop the creator’s hyperbole balloon; a Hilux landing here wouldn’t send Ford and Chevrolet racing toward bankruptcy court. But the reaction to Hito’s post does suggest there are plenty of buyers interested in trucks they perceive as simpler, tougher and less expensive than the increasingly upscale pickups packing American dealers’ lots.
Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and comment on the post. We'll update this if they respond.
