Through its vice president of marketing for the North American market, Ed Laukes, Toyota confirmed that it is considering the launch of a hybrid pickup. Laukes believes that a hybrid pickup could be a good entry into the brand's portfolio for this segment.
Ed Laukes, Vice President of Marketing Toyota USAThere's absolutely no reason we can't have a hybrid pickup.
While this statement seems rather vague, we won't be surprised if the Japanese manufacturer goes ahead with the project, given Ford's intentions to introduce a hybrid F-150 into the US market by the end of the decade. We will probably have to wait until next year to receive official confirmation, but it is possible that this new hybrid proposal from Toyota will see the light of day in the next five years.
During the interview, Laukes also revealed that the company's engineers are working on a new architecture, which will be used in the next generations of 4Runner, Sequoia and Tundra, models sold in the North American market.
Toyota believes the pickup and SUV segments will continue to grow as the company increases crossover sales: “We believe the segment still has room to grow. Especially among millennials, where it should continue to grow. We are preparing for that”.
Source: Automotive News