- Toyota has whipped up a storm of speculation with a new teaser video posted on social media.
- The shadowy vehicle looks to be the upcoming compact car-based ute, but...
- The most likely candidate would seem to be a replacement for the ageing Highlander SUV.
Ever enigmatic when it comes to teasing new models, Toyota has dropped a short, dark video on social media - simply with the text "Something new is on the horizon" - that has led to a veritable storm of speculation as to what the shadowy mystery vehicle might be.
Only shown from behind, the vehicle has very wide haunches, a relatively upright glasshouse, roof rails and a full-width light bar running across the rear. It is a relatively tall vehicle, which narrows down the speculation to a few possibilities.
Seeing as most of Toyota's current SUVs and pick ups have been replaced or refreshed relatively recently, the two that stand out as being the most likely are a replacement for the ageing Highlander or the all-new compact TNGA platform-based pickup Toyota recently confirmed to take on the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz unibody utes.
While the shape of the cabin would suggest a ute-style vehicle, it would mean that the lightbar and taillights are positioned at the top edge of the tray, which, unless Toyota has come up with something clever - or at least, something it thinks is clever - would put them in an incredibly precarious position, literally begging to be damaged, particularly when dropping the tailgate or throwing a load into the tray.
We still wouldn't rule it out altogether, but the most likely scenario is that it is a Highlander replacement that has been shot from down low to give the impression it could be a pickup, just to get us all speculating about it.
The current Highlander came out in 2019 and is due for a refresh at the very least, and with the introduction of the larger Grand Highlander in the USA in 2023 and the fact that it is due to be reintroduced into the Japanese market this year (it hasn't been sold there since 2006), it does seem the most likely candidate.
Other possibilities include an all-electric RAV4 with unique styling, the upcoming three-row electric SUV scheduled for the US market, or just an all-new concept vehicle - after all the deliberate use of "horizon" could suggest a model name. Either way, we are likely find out for sure later in the next month, as a full reveal is expected at an event Toyota is holding in California in February.