Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda has revealed a battery electric vehicle (BEV) version of the current Hilux ute as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations for the brand's Thailand manufacturing operations. And then almost immediately reminded the 1500-strong crowd that BEVs are not the only answer.
"I am often criticised in the press because I won't declare that the automotive industry should commit 100 per cent to BEV. I believe we need to be realistic about when society will be able to fully adopt battery electric vehicles and when our infrastructure can support them at scale.
"Because just like the fully autonomous cars that we were all supposed to be driving by now, I think BEVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than the media would like us to believe," said Toyoda. "And frankly, BEV's are not the only way to achieve the world's carbon neutrality goals. Personally, I would rather pursue every option, not just one option, such as emission-free synthetic fuels and hydrogen. I still believe hydrogen is as promising a technology for our future as BEV."
In fact, Toyota has seemed to go out of its way to avoid talking about the Hilux Revo BEV concept; no technical details were shared and the media pack from the launch event did not include any standalone images of the plug-in Hilux, although its nose is poking out of one officially sanctioned launch picture.
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Instead, much of the focus was on a new concept called IMV 0, which Toyoda confirmed would go into production next year. It's a low ground clearance, low-load flat-deck ute presumably designed for markets like Thailand and India, where maximum load space (and height!) is often key. The company says it's the result of months in the field observing the work and lifestyles of Thai pickup customers.
Hilux, otherwise known as IMV, is near and dear to Toyoda's heart. As a young executive he was put in charge of getting a new project to produce a global ute in Thailand up-and-running in 2002.
"At the time, I had recently been promoted to the executive in charge of the ASEAN region," said Toyoda. "Unfortunately, when I got the job, the launch of this new pick-up was in big trouble and way behind schedule. And because I was quite young for such a position at the time, and I also happened to have the last name Toyoda, as you can imagine, there were plenty of people in Japan placing bets on whether the project would fail.
"So I went to Thailand, met with our engineers and together we worked as a team found solutions and made quick decisions. And sure enough, thanks to our Thai team members... we launched the vehicle on time! We called it the Hilux Vigo, and it was such a success, that it came to be known as the national car of Thailand!
"For me, the Hilux Vigo launch remains one of the fondest memories of my career and it shaped my leadership style more than anything else."