Toyota is showing two new cars, one electric

The Toyota department that is active in Thailand has been around for sixty years, so Toyota is throwing nice words and production figures into the world. Spread over three production locations, Toyota now produces more than 500,000 cars in Thailand on an annual basis. Interesting, but more interesting are the two new study models that Toyota lifted onto the podium.

We are briefly introduced to the Toyota Hilux Revo BEV Concept and the IMV 0 Concept. Detailed information is not yet released by Toyota. Although they are both pickups, they each serve a different purpose. Toyota describes the Hilux Revo BEV Concept, which is clearly based on the current generation Hilux, as a car with which Toyota focuses on ‘CO2 neutrality and a better environment’. The IMV 0 Concept must, among other things, make mobility accessible to everyone.

Toyota’s newcomers on the corners of the Thai podium

The name of the IMV 0 Concept is undoubtedly a reference to the IMV platform that Toyota has been using since 2004 under cars such as the Hilux and the Fortuner and Innova, which are not available here. IMV – which stands for Innovative International Multi-purpose Platform – is therefore a base with a ladder frame. Toyota says it spent months studying the lifestyles of its target customers. It looks like the IMV 0 Concept is supposed to be a relatively simple, utilitarian pickup.

The IMV 0 Concept and Hilux Revo BEV Concept are both pick-ups, but as mentioned, each serve a different purpose. According to Toyota, this shows that it does not follow a ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy, not even in the field of powertrains.

None other than Toyota President Akio Toyoda handed out a small sneer to critics during the presentation. “I am often criticized in the media for not saying that the auto industry should fully commit to electric cars. I believe we need to be realistic about when society is ready to fully embrace BEVs and when our infrastructure there is ready As with the fully autonomous cars we should all be driving by now, I think EVs will take longer to become mainstream than the media would have us believe.”