The Japanese car giant says its new HiLux – now one of the smaller utes in its category thanks to carry-over underpinnings – ticks the "reliability and practicality" boxes ute buyers care about.
A top Toyota executive has deflected criticism of the new-generation HiLux’s use of a carry-over footprint and underpinnings in a class of largely all-new vehicles.
The 2026 HiLux revealed this week rides on a tweaked version of the ladder-frame platform below its 10-year-old predecessor, with a familiar footprint and cabin structure mixed with fresh front and rear ends and all-new interior.
It will wade into battle against rivals recently treated to all-new generations, including the Kia Tasman launched earlier this year, the Mitsubishi Triton overhauled in 2024, and the top-selling Ford Ranger revamped in 2022.
Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley told local media the new HiLux will "go fine" when pressed on the carry-over underpinnings in a briefing ahead of the ute's debut.
"I'm not going home losing sleep over anything," said the high-ranking Toyota executive.
"I'll tell you why that car will go fine, because it's got what a ute buyer wants. Firstly, it's reliable. It's got good quality. It's got a car brand behind it that's trusted. It's got a car brand behind it that can supply parts.
"It's got a car buyer behind it ... it's got 280 dealers around the country where these people go. That's why."
Hanley expressed equal confidence in the new HiLux's locally-led styling, which Toyota Australia senior design manager Nic Hogios said has been "designed with longevity in mind."
"It's not going to alienate at all. I'm very confident in this product. I'm very confident," said Hanley, before adding: "This design is fine.
"You talk about polarising designs. My goodness, there's plenty of them out there right now in BEVs [electric vehicles]. But, you know, things move. I love this design. I think it'll be fine."
Quizzed on his use of "fine" to describe a just-launched new-car design, Hanley replied: "Well, I love it! What do you want me to say? It is fine. It's good. It's a ute."
The Toyota Australia executive said the new HiLux ticks boxes for reliability and capability that ute buyers – and, in particular, HiLux customers – expect of their vehicles.
"When you research the customers who buy utes, they want reliability, they want practicality. They're the first two things they want. That's what they buy a ute for.
"They want it to be able to take it off-road, they wanna be able to go off-road and do the things they wanna do. They want it for work. Mining applications, farming applications.
"They want back-up service. They want to know that if it's off-road, they'll get it serviced. They want parts. These are the things they look for in a ute first, alright: practicality and reliability. They're the two key points. This car delivers on both."
Asked if Toyota could deliver similar attributes in an all-new vehicle, he said: "What's it matter? It's a tested, reliable car. Go back to what the customer wants, not what you want."
"We'll see how we go. I mean, I'm pretty confident."
Hogios said the new HiLux was always intended to share its predecessor's underpinnings.
"There are some carry-over sections in the cabin, but we believe that this design has, overall, taken HiLux into the modern era. Particularly around the front, the new iconic face, and definitely the rear," said the Toyota designer.
"The car ... is quite a big departure from the current model. It is wrapped around the tried and tested HiLux hard points, but we feel that this is a design that our customers will love for years to come."
The exterior styling of the new HiLux was led by Hogios' team at Toyota Australia's headquarters in Altona, Victoria, under a theme known as 'Cyber Sumo', inspired by the poses of Japanese wrestlers.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
