2025 Toyota HiLux: Everything we know so far about the new Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Kia Tasman and BYD Shark rival – Car News

The current Toyota HiLux has been on sale for close to 10 years and is nearing the end of its life.

It is no longer Australia’s favourite new vehicle, having lost its crown to the much newer Ford Ranger in 2023 and the gap has widened further this year.

A new generation HiLux is due next year and it’ll be gunning to regain its long held number one position. It is likely to usher in some of the biggest changes the vehicle has seen in its history.

Rumours are swirling and nothing has yet been confirmed, but this is what we believe and hope the new HiLux will deliver.

What engine will the 2025 Toyota HiLux use?

The automotive world is going through a monumental change as it speeds towards a fully electric future. This has been spurred on by strict emissions regulations in China, Europe, the US and now Australia.

This leaves utes caught between a rock and a hard place as they can’t conform to the impending laws and currently full electric power won’t cut the mustard for a work ute that needs to tow, carry a payload and drive long kays.

Toyota is going all in on hybrids. Its entire range of passenger cars is now hybrid only in Australia with commercial vehicles and 4WDs the only vehicles using petrol or diesel power alone.

A game-changing i-Force Max petrol-hybrid powertrain, which is also destined to appear in the new LandCruiser Prado, is now firming as an option.

It pairs a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine with a 36kW electric motor integrated into an eight-speed transmission to pump out a total 243kW and 630Nm.

That’s plenty of grunt and easily surpasses the 150kW and 500Nm produced by the current version’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel motor.

Despite the impressive outputs the hybrid set-up isn’t expected to deliver the same 3500kg towing capacity as the current version.

A plug-in hybrid version is also a strong possibility.

2024 Toyota LandCruiser Prado

Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide a plug-in hybrid with 200km of range would be great.

“Imagine if we had 200km of [EV range] in a plug-in, oooh that’d be hot,” he said.

He has also confirmed previously to CarsGuide the company was working on just such a plug-in hybrid.

“Of course we are. And so that to us would represent two things. It’s practical (and) it can do things that the customer wants it to do.”

2024 Toyota Tacoma pick-up

Toyota has recently joined forces with BYD in China to produce plug-in hybrids.

BYD is due to launch its plug-in hybrid Shark ute later this year in Australia.

That model combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric to deliver 320kW and 650Nm to all four wheels. This is more than a V8-powered Ram 1500 and makes it faster to 100km/h than the Ford Ranger Raptor.

The brand says it will deliver an all-electric driving range of around 100kms on the NEDC cycle, while total driving range is more like 845kms.

2024 Toyota HiLux GR Sport (Image: Tom White)

Braked towing capacity is just 2500kgs – a full tonne less than the diesel-powered Toyota HiLux.

BYD’s next-generation plug-in hybrid tech is claimed to boost EV-only range in its vehicles to about 200km.

Toyota also has a hydrogen-powered HiLux trial in the UK and a fully electric version will go on sale in Thailand soon.

What will the 2025 Toyota HiLux look like?

This is where we get to have a little fun.

There is no indication of what the new HiLux will look like, but Toyota has won more than a few fans with the styling of the new Prado 4WD, which is due in Australia soon.

We’ve knocked up a digital render with some old school HiLux design cues and a heavy dollop of the new Prado.

It’s delivered a butch, retro cool ute that would be a sure fire hit if it went on sale.

2024 Toyota HiLux GR Sport (Image: Tom White)

Retro headlights are matched to a big chunky black grille and a square jawed front end. Black cladding surrounds the wheel arches and lower part of all the panels. A rear sports bar helps it muscle up further.

Tough looking utes are all the rage with the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton both muscling up their appearance for new generations.

There is a strong chance the new HiLux could be built on Toyota TGNA-F platform that underpins the new Prado, 300-Series LandCruiser and the Tacoma ute in the US, among others.

So there is a chance it could share a fair chunk of parts with the upcoming Prado and it’s likely to be more capable than ever off-road, too.

How much will the Toyota HiLux cost?

How long is a piece of string?

New models are rarely cheaper than the one they replace. If the next-generation HiLux is more off-road capable and brings a raft of tech upgrades and hybrid power then expect the price to jump significantly.

If the HiLux goes hybrid only then it is likely to ditch a manual transmission too, which would also see the price of entry rise.

2024 Toyota HiLux GR Sport interior (Image: Tom White)

Toyota is expected to maintain a range of two- and four-wheel drive variants, along with a variety of body styles such as single cab, extra cab and dual-cab. Cab chassis and pick-up trays will remain, too.

Currently the HiLux range starts from $26,475 (before on-road costs) and rises to $74,310. If the HiLux follows the same route as the Prado then expect prices to jump by about $10,000 across the board.

When will the 2025 Toyota HiLux go on sale?

No date has been confirmed but Hanley has previously intimated the new model would be launched in 2025.

The HiLux is built in Thailand, so keep an eye on the 2025 Bangkok motor show in late March for the next-gen ute’s reveal ahead of deliveries commencing later in the year.