Toyota South Africa has confirmed that the Fortuner SUV and Hilux pick up truck will receive the hybrid treatment. While details are scant, Leon Theron, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Toyota South Africa, confirmed that the two models will receive mild-hybrid powertrains globally in 2024. There is, however no clarity on when it will launch in India.
The current-gen Fortuner and Hilux have been on sale for a while now and are based on the aging IMV platform. The upcoming Fortuner and Hilux are likely to be based on Toyota’s advanced TNGA-F platform that also underpins the upcoming Tacoma, Land Cruiser 300 and Lexus LX500d. The TNGA-F platform can incorporate both ICE and hybrid powertrains.
Toyota’s reason to opt for a hybrid system for the above models is that it believes EVs are not the only option towards carbon neutrality. While it did display a BEV (battery electric vehicle) version of the Hilux, dubbed the Hilux Revo BEV at its Carbon Neutrality Summit earlier this year, it will not be the only alternative fuel option for the Hilux.
