By now, we can firmly say that compact trucks are back in America. The Ford Maverick continues to be an absolutely segment-breaking vehicle, while the Hyundai Santa Cruz is still out here posting respectable numbers for something more lifestyle-oriented. However, it won’t be a two-horse race forever because Motor Trend reports that a small unibody pickup truck from Toyota is on its way, and it seems like it may be worth the wait.
With the Maverick’s popularity, Toyota has watched the segment grow—and it’s a segment it doesn’t compete in but would like to. Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, told MotorTrend the automaker is building the truck. “Decisions have been made,” he said. “The question is when we can slot it in. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ at this point.”
Reading between the lines here, Toyota seeing the instant success of the Ford Maverick in 2021 and not deciding that “when” is “ASAP” has to be one of the bigger bag fumbles in recent history, but Toyota has the goods to do it properly. Not only does the company have a cult-like truck fanbase and the TNGA platforms, it also has several excellent hybrid powertrains that can do stuff Ford’s can and stuff the Maverick can’t.
The 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder hybrid powertrain in the RAV4 would be a perfect match against the Maverick’s hybrid system, but Toyota also offers the Direct4 hybrid powertrain, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a conventional automatic transmission and electrification, good for a combined 340 horsepower. Oh, and then there’s the plug-in hybrid powertrain offered in the RAV4, which adds a bigger battery pack and grid charging equipment to the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated hybrid setup to produce 320 combined horsepower and run around town on electric power alone.
Alright, so Toyota doesn’t offer a mechanical all-wheel-drive system in any transverse hybrid application, but will most consumers care? The through-the-road all-wheel-drive system of a small electric motor on the rear axle will be enough for many, especially considering compact trucks are primarily used as everyday cars or light-duty service trucks.
What’s more, Toyota has made unibody truck concepts before. There was the A-BAT concept of 2007, a hybrid unibody truck that would’ve been massively ahead-of-the-curve. However, that doesn’t mean Toyota hasn’t been working on a similar project recently. In 2023, the marque showed off something called the EPU concept, and while it was purportedly electric, I wouldn’t be surprised if a future compact truck from Toyota looks something like it in some way.
After all, if the EPU was just a show car, why would it have real mirrors, or amber reflectors in the headlights, or bumper shut lines, or a full interior with production-looking seats? Sure, a production-spec small truck probably won’t be all-electric, but the EPU looks like more than just a rough first draft. Either way, Motor Trend predicts that Toyota’s small truck is on its way for 2027 for a starting price around $30,000 and hybridization. That’s about the time Ford expects to have its $30,000 electric pickup truck ready, but given how not everyone is ready to go battery electric, Toyota’s hybrid should have plenty of sales potential.
Top graphic image: Toyota
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