en.Wedoany.com Reported - Toyota is conducting road tests of its new mid-size pickup in the São Paulo region of Brazil. The model, codenamed Project 150D, has been spotted driving around Toyota's plant with its final production body. Positioned below the Hilux, it is expected to compete against mid-size pickups like the Fiat Toro, Ford Maverick, and Chevrolet Montana, with a planned market launch around 2028.
Earlier this year, Toyota secured over R$500 million in credit through Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) for the acquisition of high-value-added equipment and technology, to be applied to a new hybrid flex-fuel vehicle project at the Sorocaba plant. In March 2024, Rafael Chang, CEO of Toyota for Latin America and the Caribbean, confirmed an investment plan of R$11 billion for Brazil through 2030. Of this amount, R$5 billion will be invested by 2026, with the remaining R$6 billion to be allocated by the end of the decade. Toyota has stated it will "produce another model using hybrid flex-fuel technology, developed specifically for Brazil," and this model is very likely to be this mid-size pickup.
According to Marlos Ney Vidal of Autos Segredos, more details about the pickup's final appearance have become clear. Its taillights will extend onto the cargo bed cover, similar to competitors from BYD and the EPU concept vehicle Toyota unveiled in 2023. The side profile heavily borrows from the current Corolla Cross design, but adapted for a pickup form factor. The model's dimensions may reference the concept car previously shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, with a length of approximately 5.07 meters. In terms of platform, the vehicle will be based on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) modular platform, but will be adapted with the new RAV4's driver-assistance technologies and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The new pickup is expected to feature Toyota's new-generation engine series (internationally known as PHEV-FFV), a plug-in hybrid flex-fuel type. This powertrain is based on the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid's 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle gasoline engine, which delivers 182 hp on gasoline alone, combined with a 180 hp electric motor on the front axle and a 53 hp motor on the rear axle. The 18.1 kWh battery pack equipped in the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid provides up to 75 km of pure electric range. These technological changes will also impact the Corolla lineup, with the Corolla Cross potentially gaining all-wheel drive due to the addition of a motor on the rear axle.
Currently, the largest hybrid engine available for the Corolla SUV and sedan lineup is the 1.8-liter VVT-i 16V Atkinson cycle flex-fuel engine, which produces 101 hp on ethanol and 98 hp on gasoline, with 14.5 kgfm of torque, delivering a combined output of 122 hp when paired with the front electric motor. Regardless of the final engine choice, it will be produced at Toyota's plant in Porto Feliz (SP), which is scheduled to reopen in mid-2028. Last year, the plant suffered partial structural damage due to a severe windstorm, and Toyota has taken emergency measures to maintain operations and proceed with the factory's reconstruction.
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