Toyota has revealed its first fully-electric pickup truck alongside a mysterious and adorable new truck due for release in Thailand one year from now, if not more. The Hilux Revo BEV Concept is a new EV based on the popular Hilux pickup, while the enigmatic IMV 0 is unlike any truck currently produced by the Japanese carmaker. But given it’s “0" designation and similarity to the Toyota Compact Cruiser EV, it’s possible the IMV 0 could be powered by a number of eco-friendly powertrains, maybe even an FCEV or hydrogen-combustion setup.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda unveiled the trucks at an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of Toyota production in Thailand, where he led the development of the original International Multi-Purpose Vehicle (IMV) in 2002.
The Hilux Revo BEV and IMV 0 are just concepts for now, but Toyoda estimates that the official launch of the IMV 0 is just over a year away. The launch of the fully-electric Hilux is presumably not far behind the new IMV, according to the relationship Toyoda described between the two models, which will complement each other on the Thai truck market:
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the all new, IMV 0 concept and our all new Hilux Revo BEV concept. Between them, they represent two different ends of the automotive spectrum, for different needs and different customers. One designed to support economic growth and mobility for all, and one designed to support carbon neutrality and a better environment for all.
Details are scarce about either model, but the Hilux Revo BEV is clearly based on current light-duty trucks in Thailand. The truck’s EV range is unknown, along with what cab configurations will be available when the EV makes it to market. The EV Hilux looks like a legacy ICE-powered Hilux that just traded its gas tank for a battery, but the design is almost endearing.
The truly radical model is the smaller IMV 0, which builds on the legacy of Akio Toyoda’s original IMV. This updated model will be a modular truck that’s reportedly capable of using many modules based on customer needs. And although chassis cabs are nothing new, especially among commercial vehicles, the “lego-like” IMV 0 will come with more options and ease-of-use, according to Auto Life Thailand, including modules for over landing and hauling cargo.
That modularity could extend to the truck’s drivetrain, given Toyota’s insistence on developing fuel cell electric vehicles, and, now, hydrogen-combustion models. Toyoda brought the Corolla Cross H2 Concept to highlight the many ways the carmaker can lower carbon emissions; he then went on to say that despite the criticism he’s received for not committing to EVs, he still believes hydrogen is just as promising as BEV technology for future models.
The CEO remains so committed to hydrogen, that Toyota recently partnered with the Charoen Pokphand Group to develop a way to make hydrogen using farm waste in Thailand. And that hydrogen could one day power an adorable hydrogen-combustion, manual transmission-equipped Toyota IMV 0.
