The new Toyota Hilux has been previewed in Australia (with a sales date for August), even though the international launch in Thailand is not till July.
With the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 twins due around the same time as the face-lifted Toyota, and a new Holden Colorado that arrives early 2012, this is a keenly fought section of the market, even though the pick-up popularity is waning, while the market for small sedans is increasing in this country.
New Hilux
Even though it is claimed that the latest Hilux is all new from the windscreen pillar forward, with a more aggressively styled grille that goes from the previous honeycomb to a triple-bar design, along with newly shaped bumper and headlights and slight repositioning of the air scoop for the turbo diesel models, it is still immediately recognizable as a Hilux Vigo.
The engines/transmissions are expected to be the same as before, but electronic upgrades are expected, such as Stability Control, which may even become standard on all models. That would be for the export markets, as I do not think Toyota will put such an expensive option into the domestic models as standard.
Our Thailand Hilux is the best-selling pick-up in Australia, and one of the most popular vehicles in the country, but sales have gone down recently (20 percent in the 4×2 market) and the Nissan Navara is catching up.
