The Toyota Hilux is making its way to India and while it is a new entrant to India, the Hilux has a legacy of more than 50 years in the global market. While being a noteworthy contributor to global modernisation, the Toyota Hilux is a fine statement of how tough, reliable, and versatile a vehicle can be. In this day and age, the Toyota Hilux has played a variety of roles that range from supporting rural businesses to being a well-specced weekend leisure vehicle. Join us as we explore the story of the Toyota Hilux and what makes it a legend.
The Concept of Toyota Hilux
The company that eventually became Toyota, had been manufacturing trucks long before the origin of the Hilux. In 1941, the Japanese military took a keen interest in the American Willy’s Jeep and asked Toyota to develop their own version. Working on the Land Cruiser had given Toyota substantial experience in ladder frame chassis-based small vehicles and it launched the first pickup truck, Toyota SB in 1947. This pickup truck went through many revisions and by 1963, it had turned into the Toyota Lite Stout.
The Toyota Lite Stout competed against the Hino Briska which was highly popular at the time. In 1967, Toyota purchased Hino Motors and the updated version of Briska became Toyota’s new pick up, the Toyota Hilux, the name being an abbreviation of ‘High Luxury’. The Hilux became Toyota’s dedicated ladder frame chassis that was capable of carrying heavy loads
First-generation 1968 – 1972
With its debut in 1968, the Toyota Hilux succeeded both the Hino Briska and the Toyota Lite Stout. The Toyota Hilux was equipped with a 1.5L petrol engine mated with a 4-speed manual gearbox, double wishbone/coil spring front suspension, and a rigid axle/leaf spring rear suspension. With a seating capacity of three, the Hilux had a loading capacity of 1,000 kgs in its cargo bed which was 1,850 mm long. The Toyota Hilux was an immediate hit and sold like hotcakes, especially in North America where it was sold with a longer 1969 mm wheelbase, and a 1.9L petrol engine. Soon, Toyota’s pickup trucks, the Crown and Corona, were discontinued as Toyota could sense the Hilux’s potential and gave it a dedicated focus.
The second-generation 1972 – 1978
The facelift in 1972 gave Hilux some major updates both on the inside and outside. The standard and the high models of Hilux received the addition of 10 mm and 45 mm in their wheelbases and were equipped with a 1.6L petrol engine and 2.0L petrol engine respectively. However, the length of the cargo bed and maximum loading capacity remained unaltered. Moreover, the availability of automatic transmission made the Hilux more attractive as a lifestyle car for weekend getaways. Toyota also launched the sporty the Toyota Hilux SR5 which came with a 96hp producing 2.2L petrol engine.
The North American version was named Toyota Truck or Toyota pickup truck to help it compete with Nissan’s ‘Datsun Truck’. And soon it became the “pickup truck of the year” in 1975 in the USA which by now was the Hilux’s largest market.
Third Generation 1978 – 1983
By 1977, the Toyota Hilux had crossed sales figures of 200,000 annually and Toyota didn’t miss the chance to give it a boost. The third-generation Toyota Hilux was rolled out in September 1978, giving it sedan-like specifications including radio and air conditioning, while also focusing on ride comfort.
The variants included three standard-length models and four long-body models. The top model, Super Deluxe came in a double cab version and was 90 mm longer than a standard cab. The 1.6-liter 12R-J petrol engine and double-wishbone front suspension were carried forward from the previous generation and remained unchanged. Toyota also added a 2.2L diesel engine in Hilux’s lineup, giving it a significant boost to sell 300,000 units annually.
In 1981, Toyota found an opportunity to turn Hilux into a covered 2-and 4-seater SUV. They worked with Winnebago to produce a vehicle inspired by the Winnebago Trekker. This resulted in the creation of the Toyota Hilux Surf, which would later become the popular Toyota 4Runner.
Fourth Generation 1983 – 1988
The fourth-generation Hilux had a more commanding stance and was launched in 1983. The rear-wheel-drive variants were further subcategorized into the Comfortable series and the Popular series. While the former had received considerable updates, the latter was the third-generation model which was still in production. The Hilux also borrowed the four-wheel drive system from the Land Cruiser, further enhancing its capability.
The fourth generation Hilux saw the introduction of a 2.5L turbo diesel engine as well as a new petrol V6 engine. While the diesel lacked power compared to the existing engines, the V6 proved to be a popular choice for North American buyers looking for a powerful pickup truck.
While the Hilux now enjoyed sales of over 400,000 units per year, the massive success proved to be a double-edged sword. The 1987 war between Chad and Libya was given the name, “Toyota War ” as both sides found the go-anywhere and do-anything calibre of the Hilux perfect to move their soldiers and tools. The pickup truck has found its use in many other warzones over the years due to its durability and capability.
Fifth Generation 1988 – 1997
Toyota launched the fifth-generation Toyota Hilux in 1988, focusing mainly on its power, utility, and comfort. To add to the functionality of a recreational vehicle, the interiors were much more refined and sedan-like. Furthermore, instead of offering shorter and longer variants, one standard body was available in single and double cab variants and featured pressed doors with integrated window sashes. The 4WD variants were 40 mm wider than the RWD versions, as their fenders were given flares.
This period saw Toyota engage in joint ventures with other car makers to ensure the Hilux’ demand could be met. It partnered with General Motors to build the Hilux at the GM Fremont factory in California. In 1989, Toyota partnered with Volkswagen and rebadged the Hilux as the Volkswagen Taro for production in Europe. This gave Toyota a good grasp on the European commercial vehicle market while Volkswagen could feature a 1-ton pickup truck in their lineup.
Sixth Generation 1997 – 2004: The Origin of Fortuner & Innova
Rolled out in 1997, the sixth generation featured a business-use truck line and a personal-use sports pickup line. The latter consisted of the elements of a recreational vehicle and was relatively taller, longer, and had a quieter cabin than the commercial focused model. To accentuate its multipurpose trait, it was 100 mm wider and had an adequately long cargo bed, with two auxiliary seats at the rear of the cabin.
The popularity of the Hilux led to Toyota launching new cars based on the Hilux platform. In Thailand, the Hilux platform was used to build the Sport Rider mid-size SUV, which later became the Toyota Fortuner. In Indonesia, Toyota manufactured a Hilux-base minivan named Toyota Innova minivan in 2004 and added it to the Kijang series of commercial vehicles. So, while the Hilux didn’t come to India, the Fortuner and Innova have become runaway successes here thanks to the versatility of the Hiux.
The best-ever advertisement for any vehicle came in 2003 when Top Gear decided to try to destroy a 1980-model Toyota Hilux which had already driven 300,000 kms. Surviving the greatest of punishments which included being left in the Bristol channel for several hours and placed on a 23-storey building that was demolished, the Hilux showed its robustness and was still driveable.
Building on this statement, Toyota UK produced a special “invincible” model. The Top Gear team took a pair of modified versions of these models and drove it to the Magnet North Pole of the Earth in 2007. This further glorified the statement of Toyota’s engineering. Moreover, in 2011, a modified Toyota Tacoma was driven to the South pole of the earth in less than 40 hours by Jason De Carteret and his team.
Seventh Generation 2004 – 2015
Toyota launched the seventh generation Hilux in 2004. The all-new pickup truck went on sale in more than 140 countries worldwide. While retaining the ruggedness of the 6th generation, the new Toyota Hilux was built for the 21st century and had a perfect blend of durability and comfort, with improved ride and handling. With an intent to make a huge global impact, Toyota kept the Hilux as affordable as they could.
Toyota Racing Development manufactured a 300 hp supercharged Toyota Hilux for Australia in 2008. The car was a lot of fun and led the imperial Toyota Team to make their own version. The heavily modified Hilux competed in the 2012 Dakar Rally and achieved a couple of second positions with a third and a fourth coming in the next 4 years. In 2019, it won the race.
Eighth Generation 2015
The eighth-generation Hilux was launched in May 2015. To understand the customers’ expectations, a development team of Toyota travelled around the world and did specified surveys and drove on a variety of roads to understand different usage conditions. They found that Hilux needed to be tougher than the worldly connotation of ‘tough’ and comfortable enough to reduce the stress of long journeys on challenging surfaces. The new Hilux focused on redefining toughness while keeping the vehicle as luxurious and convenient as possible. Along with offering an impressively quiet cabin, the new Hilux was built to add luxury to the long and tough rides in the most inhospitable environments. The cabin allowed communication in any condition and the Toyota Hilux has an enhanced range with better fuel economy.
India: A new Territory to conquer
As the launch of the Toyota Hilux is just around the corner, it is expected the pickup truck will enjoy success in the Indian automotive space. The Toyota Hilux is not just another pickup truck and is bringing a revered legacy that has remained unchallenged for more than 50 years. While earlier generations focused on utility, the Hilux Indians will buy will have the perfect mix of off-road capability, premium comfort, and versatile utility that has made this pickup truck legendary across the world.
With 54 years of glorious life so far, the Toyota Hilux seems to be on a never-ending honourable trajectory. Helping the developing countries convert into developed ones is a small part of the vital role the Toyota Hilux has played on a global scale. While the Toyota Hilux has already exemplified what a marvellous piece of engineering is capable of, a lot of wonders are still expected of it in the ages to follow.
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