Toyota Hilux spied during TVC shoot in India

Toyota has been very conservative about its launches for the Indian car market in the recent past. The only significant product it launched in India in 2021 is the Fortuner Legender 4×4, which was more of a variant add-on rather than an all-new product launch. However, the Japanese carmaker is expected to begin 2022 with a bang by launching the much-acclaimed Hilux lifestyle pickup truck in India.

There have been a lot of rumours surrounding the launch of the Toyota Hilux in India in the last couple of years. The pickup was spotted in its full glory while it was being shot for a commercial ad on the roads of Gurugram. Since there was no kind of camouflage on the vehicle, it suggests that the arrival of the Hilux is just around the corner.

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We have got our hands on a few exterior pictures of the red-coloured Toyota Hilux on the Indian roads. The pictures suggest that it is a top-spec double-cab variant of the Hilux. The pickup seen here comes with a large trapezoidal grille at the front, which gets thick chrome surrounds and a sleek chrome garnish below the big Toyota logo present within the grille. The headlamps look great with full LED projectors and daytime running LEDs within them. The front bumper looks chunky with silver skid plates and L-shaped housings for the fog lamps.

Toyota Hilux looks butch!

The Toyota Hilux carries a butch appeal on the side, with the lifestyle pickup getting tough-looking body cladding over the wheel arches and on the lower portion of the door panels. It gets chrome finished rearview mirrors with integrated turn signals and door handles. The multi-spoke alloy wheels look like they have been shared with the Fortuner, indicating that the pickup is expected to ride on 18-inch tyres. At the back, the Toyota Hilux features vertically laid wide tail lamps with LED inserts and chrome finish on the centrally placed decklid handle and bumper corner protectors. Just above the deck lid handle, there is an LED stop lamp too.

Apart from the features mentioned above, the Hilux is expected to get a few other modern features on the inside. The cabin is expected to be an all-black affair, with the top-spec trims expected to get leather upholstery, TFT MID for the instrument console, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, powered driver’s seat, automatic climate control, push start-stop button, multi-functional steering wheel with cruise control, six airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and camera, hill start assist, hill descent control and more.

Mechanically, the India-spec Toyota Hilux is expected to get the same underpinnings as the global-spec version. The Hilux is based on the same body-on-frame IMV platform, which forms the base for the Innova Crysta and Fortuner. The Indian market is expected to get the 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel engine from the Innova Crysta, which makes 148 bhp of maximum power and 343 Nm of torque. Like the Innova Crysta, the Hilux is also expected to get the transmission options of a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. The pickup will also be offered with both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive options.

The only direct rivalry, which the Toyota Hilux will face once it launches in India, is the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross. However, the Hilux will be positioned at a slight premium over the V-Cross, which indicates that it will be priced in the range of Rs 25-30 lakh (ex-showroom).

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