A number of media reports and official teasers suggest we may soon be getting a look at the first battery electric Toyota HiLux, which could launch as soon as next year.
While there has been no official word from Toyota, enough details and hints are around to pay special attention to next week’s reveal of the 2026 HiLux.
Toyota Motor Thailand posted a brief teaser video of a HiLux in shadows over the weekend, promising that the new HiLux will be unveiled on November 10 at 10:30am, which would be 2:30pm AEDT.
This confirms reports from earlier this year in September from Thai automotive publication Car250 that Toyota would unveil the new HiLux at the Thai Motor Expo.
Whether or not a battery electric (BEV) HiLux will be part of the November 10 launch is unknown at this point, but a recently leaked slide shown at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show to Asian media outlets, and since shared on Instagram, suggests that a BEV HiLux is more than likely.
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The slide shows five vehicles set to be released “within a year”, including two in silhouette that look like a HiLux, one of which is labelled a BEV.
Leaked images and spy shots of the 2026 HiLux have been a constant feature of automotive blogs this year, confirming that the car will feature a heavily facelifted exterior based on the existing Toyota IMV platform, with specific modifications to the front and rear.
In addition to redesigned front- and rear-end styling, the new HiLux is also expected to get an interior facelift, featuring a new dashboard with a tablet-style display.
A Toyota executive confirmed to Reuters earlier this year that the company was testing a new battery electric HiLux which would begin production in Thailand by the end of this year.
Like several utes sold in Australia, the Toyota HiLux is produced in Thailand, making the upcoming release event of even greater interest.
And a battery electric HiLux landing in Australia won’t be that surprising, considering Toyota partnered with Australian mining giant BHP last year to trial such a car at its Port Hedland operations in Western Australia.
Announced in October of 2024, the trial was expected to run for around 12 months so as to provide both companies with data on the vehicle’s performance.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.