Toyota benchmarking the Tesla Cybertruck and Ford F-150 Lightning
Toyota engineers have been spied driving a Tesla Cybertruck among several competitor vehicles, suggesting the Japanese car maker may have a large electric pick-up in the works.
A large electric pick-up would potentially join a future mid-size Toyota HiLux and a city-sized electric pick-up for a three-tier battery-powered line-up.
Toyota has previously confirmed it will build an electric pick-up but has not said which model will introduce the new technology to showrooms.
Toyota Australia imported a prototype electric Toyota HiLux in late 2023 for evaluation, suggesting electrification of the popular ute was a priority.
Yet website Motrolix has reported staff at multiple Toyota engineering, research and development campuses in North America testing electric versions of competitors’ larger pick-ups.
In the US, the Japanese car maker sells the Toyota HiLux-based Tacoma as well as the larger Tundra, a rival to the Ford F-Series, Dodge Ram
and Chevrolet Silverado.
Of the two, only the Tundra is currently available in Australia as part of a 300-vehicle trial, with the 2025 model yet to be confirmed.
Alongside the Tesla Cybertruck, key electric rivals seen under evaluation by Toyota engineers included the Ford F-150 Lightning, as well as the electric GMC Hummer – both similar in size to the Tundra.
This suggests Toyota may be working on various-sized electric pick-ups, with the Tundra being electrified after the HiLux-sized Tacoma.
Toyota currently offers hybrid versions of both the Tacoma and Tundra.
A new model Tacoma is due on sale in North America in mid-2024 which will share its underpinnings with a new-generation Toyota HiLux expected in
Australia in 2025.
There appears to be a stronger business case for an electric Tacoma, the best-selling Toyota pick-up in the US, with 234,768 sales in 2023.
Tundra, by comparison, was easily beaten in 2023 by the best-selling vehicle in the US – the Ford F-Series – which posted 750,798 sales.
Of those, 124,165 were the electric F-150 Lightning – with Ford saying it lost money on every electric F-Series sold – yet Tundra sales totalled only 125,185.
An electric Tundra and Tacoma may also be joined by an even smaller electric Toyota ute.
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