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An American Toyota executive confirmed a compact ute is on its way, provided political conditions keep affordability in check.
A Toyota North America executive just confirmed a checklist of pending conditions that could make or break plans for sub-HiLux sized ute.
Talk of a smaller ute model, based on the SUV underpinnings of the RAV4, has circulated for some time.
At a recent National Automobile Dealers Association( NADA) seminar in the United States, Mark Templin, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America, confirmed the new model was coming, provided certain conditions were met.
As reported by Automotive News, Templin hinted strongly at a revival of the compact truck during the NADA conference.
“We invented the compact truck,” Templin said, referring to early versions of the HiLux.
He then went on to tell dealers in attendance to “Be patient. When the market’s right, we may have something.”
Set to become a rival to the popular Ford Maverick, the ‘compact’ term is somewhat relative, with the Maverick measuring over five metres in length, closer in size to a Hilux than the RAV4 it would be based on.
Templin spoke on other issues facing the company, including how potential changes to the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement could impact manufacturing in the region, and indirectly affect the compact pick-up’s chances for survival.
“Consumers lose if USMCA goes bad,” Templin cautioned.
While any pick-up truck bound for the US market needs to be built within the USA to avoid a 25 per cent import levy, component supply from the USA’s neighbouring countries is vital to the outcome of overall affordability.
“I think that hopefully we can come to a place where we can keep the supply chain that’s been developed over years and years,” Templin said.
Templin also hinted that a basic version, with less advanced electronic and convenience equipment, could be a solution to keeping pricing low for the new ute and other models in the Toyota line-up.
Amid mounting pressures to keep costs down, Templin revealed that Toyota was considering reintroducing vehicles with a more basic equipment level, to maintain a strong presence in the under-$US35,000 ($AU50,000) section of the market.
Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
