Toyota South Africa has confirmed that the Fortuner SUV and Hilux pick up truck will receive the hybrid treatment. While details are scant, Leon Theron, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Toyota South Africa, confirmed that the two models will receive mild-hybrid powertrains globally in 2024.
- Next-gen Fortuner, Hilux to be based on the TNGA-F platform
- Toyota likely to hybridise the current 2.8-litre diesel engine
The current-gen Fortuner and Hilux have been on sale for a while now and are based on the ageing IMV platform. The upcoming Fortuner and Hilux are likely to be based on Toyota’s advanced TNGA-F platform that also underpins the upcoming Tacoma, Land Cruiser 300 and Lexus LX500d. The TNGA-F platform can incorporate both ICE and hybrid powertrains.
Yoshiki Konishi, president of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing, had confirmed to Autocar India in 2021 that the next-gen Fortuner will have a hybrid powertrain. While the Fortuner hybrid will debut globally next year, there is no clarity on when it will launch in India.
Toyota is opting for a hybrid system for the two models as it believes that EVs are not the only option towards carbon neutrality. While it did display a BEV version of the Hilux, dubbed the Hilux Revo BEV at its Carbon Neutrality Summit earlier this year, it will not be the only alternative fuel option for the Hilux.
Toyota Fortuner hybrid, Hilux hybrid expected powertrain
While the exact details of the hybrid powertrains have not been revealed yet, it is likely that Toyota will electrify the current powertrains for the Fortuner and Hilux’s hybrid versions. Expect it to get the 2.8-litre, turbocharged diesel engine producing 204hp and 500Nm that will be paired to a mild-hybrid system. It remains to be seen if Toyota will launch a strong-hybrid version of the Fortuner and Hilux in the future.
It remains to be seen if Toyota will launch the two hybrid models in India, and it is currently working on reducing the waiting period of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Innova Hycross and the reintroduced Innova Crysta.
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