Toyota Electric Pickup Taxis in Thailand: Report

Toyota Electric Pickup Tested in Pattaya 2024

Toyota has presented several EV proposals within the past two years, though sadly many of their stores are deprived of electric automobiles. For now, the firm mainly carries a restrictive variety of BEVs over the entire planet: the bZ4X SUV, the China-exclusive bZ3 sedan, and the Lexus-labelled RZ and UX 300e. Luckily, they are about to launch another one exclusively in limited amounts in Thailand – an all-electric pickup truck!

Toyota declared that testing of their recently developed electric vehicle (EV) is soon to start in Thailand, where pickup trucks make up nearly half of all car sales. Pras Ganesh, vice president of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing, informed Reuters that engineers are currently adapting Toyota’s electric pickups to local circumstances. As reported by Ganesh, a miniscule supply of batter-powered pickups will be put into use as cabs in the city of Pattaya in the beginning of 2024.

“We will begin our exploration with public transit,” Ganesh informed Reuters. He also mentioned that Toyota is considering testing other electric vehicle pickups for uses such as last-mile delivery services. In addition, the firm is increasing its electric vehicle research and development capacity in Thailand, one of the five global R&D centers owned by Toyota.

Ganesh didn’t specify which EV pickup would be put to the test in Thailand, but I can think of a couple of possibilities. One is the Hilux Revo BEV Concept that was unveiled in Thailand in late 2019. Toyota didn’t give a timeline for when it would be available for sale. The second option could be the IMV 0 concept, which made its debut at the same event and was also showcased at the Japan Mobility Show last month. The IMV 0 is a brand-new IMV modular light commercial pickup that Toyota said will be “truly affordable and truly innovative” when it hits the market. The company also mentioned that the production version is still “over a year away”. It looks like the IMV 0 will be powered by an internal combustion engine, but it could be adapted to use batteries too.

Disposing of an electric Hilux and/or IMV in Thailand could enable Toyota to grapple with Chinese rivalry in the South East Asian business sector. Last year Toyota rolled out the bZ4X in Thailand, yet up to this point the electric SUV has been surpassed by adversaries from BYD and Great Wall Motor on the market.

Last month, Toyota voyaged a Hilux Revo to Australia for some extra assessment and to attain remarks from large-scale Hilux users in the country. This implies that Toyota is looking into Australia as a feasible market for the electric Hilux.

What about the U.S.? It appears exceedingly unlikely the Hilux Revo will be sold in North America, since the ICE version of Hilux doesn’t exist in this region. However, at the Japan Mobility Show, Toyota revealed the production-ready EPU Concept and it could turn out to be a great competitor for the Ford Maverick. Judging from the public praise for the EPU, it would be wise for Toyota to tune into their customer demand and produce the model in reality.

Source: Reuters