Mild-hybrid Toyota Fortuner and Hilux arriving next year

KUALA LUMPUR: Toyota is set to introduce hybrid versions of its highly popular Fortuner SUV and the Hilux pickup truck next year. The beans are spilled by Toyota South Africa; the company’s senior vice president of sales and marketing Leon Theron confirmed that the two models will receive mild-hybrid powertrains globally in 2024. 

In place of the old IMV architecture, the next-generation Toyota Fortuner and Hilux are likely to get a TNGA-F platform that can accommodate hybrid powertrains. The same underpinnings can also be found under the Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Land Cruiser 300, and Lexus LX500d.

While no details on the hybrid powertrains are yet available, it is expected that the vehicles will be powered by a 2.8-litre turbocharged diesel engine paired with a mild hybrid system. In the present configuration, the said mill kicks out a maximum power of 204 hp and a peak torque of 500 Nm.

According to several industry reports, the Japanese marque says that achieving carbon neutrality does not solely depend on pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). It believes that hybrid technology can also play a significant role in achieving this goal. Thus, by introducing mild-hybrid versions, it steps towards becoming carbon neutral.

Toyota EVs in Malaysia

In Malaysia, Toyota initiated its hybrid journey with the launch of the Corolla Cross Hybrid last year. This marks an incredible milestone for UMW Toyota Motor as its first locally assembled hybrid vehicle based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform. Now, the company is geared up for the launch of its first pure EV, the bZ4X. It recently previewed sample units of the bZ4X and has begun its testing on local roads. The EV is earmarked to launch in Malaysia this year. 

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