2026 HiLux: What Toyota has to say about the next-generation, but not-all-new ute
01/28/2025 04:00 PM
Toyota Australia is letting little slip about the next-generation HiLux, as all signs point to a ‘new’ model that is just a facelift of today’s ute.
The 2026 Toyota HiLux may not cost much more than its predecessor – while matching or exceeding its off-road capabilities – the brand has hinted.
Spy photos of the new HiLux show it will not be an all-new vehicle, but rather a heavy update of the current Toyota ute launched in 2015, fitted with a new nose, tail, and likely interior.
The Japanese car giant is known for its secrecy on future model plans, and – compared to brands such as Hyundai, Kia and even Mazda – rarely comments on new vehicles before they are formally unveiled.
But Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley suggested to Drive any future iterations of the HiLux would not throw out the rulebook.
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“I think the new HiLux will need to meet criteria of capability – particularly off-road – reliability, and affordability. And whatever we do with HiLux, that will be our first goal,” he said.
“And you’re right, there will be a new generation – coming in the next generation.
“I always laugh when journalists ask me ‘when’s the new one coming?’ You know the day we launch a car, we start planning a new one.”
Hanley spoke to Drive at a media event in early January, months after the first reports claiming the new HiLux wouldn’t be all-new emerged out of South America, but 48 hours before the revealing spy photos hit the Internet.
MORE: 2026 Toyota HiLux caught on camera – first spy photos of next-gen ute
The spy photos lend new meaning to the executive’s comments, as we know now for certain the 2026 ute will sit on carry-over underpinnings – ensuring a level of off-road capability similar to today’s model.
A heavy facelift is cheaper to develop than a brand-new vehicle, in turn meaning less development cost to pass onto consumers in showrooms.
The top-selling HiLux SR5 – in dual-cab, 4×4, automatic pick-up trim – is priced from $63,260 plus on-road costs, compared to $65,500 for an Isuzu D-Max LS-U+, $63,640 for a Ford Ranger XLT bi-turbo, and $59,090 for a Mitsubishi Triton GLS.
MORE: New Toyota HiLux trademark may be first official hint at next-generation model
The price order in the dual-cab ute category has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the HiLux now undercuts several Japanese rivals it was previously dearer than.
In 2019, a HiLux SR5 was priced from $57,240 plus on-road costs – $2400 more than an equivalent Isuzu D-Max, and close to $10,000 dearer than a Mitsubishi Triton GLS.
The exception is the Ford Ranger XLT bi-turbo, which has reduced its price premium over the HiLux – due to fewer RRP rises – from $3000 to $400, rather than increased it.
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