Toyota eyeing RAV4-based ute as more car-like alternative to Hilux, Tacoma

A new ute based on the Toyota RAV4 SUV could be in the works, after comments from the head of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) confirmed the automaker is considering a smaller pickup to sit below the Tacoma.

Speaking to Automotive News, TMNA CEO Ted Ogawa explained the automaker – which finished second to General Motors in new-vehicle sales in the United States in 2025 – was looking at affordability across its range.

The approach could include a ute based on the RAV4, the best-selling SUV in both the US and New Zealand in 2025, bringing a smaller, cheaper pickup to Toyota showrooms.

“For the compact truck? Definitely, we have such demand,” Mr Ogawa told Automotive News.

“A RAV4-based pickup is an opportunity for us, and the dealers are waiting. Maybe they say we need today or tomorrow, but it takes time.”

There was no further detail on when a production model could be ready.

The market for smaller, car-based pickups is strong in the US, where the Ford Maverick – based on the discontinued RAV4-rivalling Ford Escape SUV – recorded more than 155,000 sales in 2025.

That was an 18 per cent increase on the previous year, with the Maverick now the cheapest vehicle in Ford US showrooms, priced from $US28,145 (NZ$48,038) before on-road costs and available with a choice of petrol or hybrid powertrains.

The Maverick’s rivals include the Hyundai Santa Cruz (from $US29,750/NZ$50,777 plus on-road costs), which is based on the Hyundai Tucson SUV sold here. Both utes use unibody construction, while the Hilux and Ford Ranger use an off-road-focused body-on-frame chassis.

Toyota previously previewed a unibody pickup design in 2023 with the Toyota EPU Concept, shown as part of the automaker’s display at that year’s Tokyo motor show.

The dual-cab-only Maverick rides on a 3076mm wheelbase and measures 5075mm long, 1844mm wide and 1748mm high.

For comparison, the Ranger dual-cab pickup measures 5370mm long, 1918mm wide and 1886mm high, with a 3270mm wheelbase.

The RAV4-based pickup would likely be hybrid-only, given the RAV4 is sold exclusively with hybrid power in the US and is now hybrid-only in NZ with the new model's launch earlier this year.

This also aligns with the affordability push given recent record fuel prices in the US, where petrol reached as high as $US8 (NZ$13.65) per gallon (3.78L), equivalent to NZ$3.61 per litre.

Mr Ogawa said between 55 and 60 per cent of Toyota’s US sales – which totalled 2.5 million vehicles last year – are now hybrid models.

The smallest and cheapest ute in Toyota’s current US lineup is the Tacoma, priced from $US32,445 (NZ$55,369) before on-road costs, with the Hilux not sold in North America.

In dual-cab form, the Tacoma measures 5410mm long, 1979mm wide and 1989mm high, with a 3350mm wheelbase – 265mm longer than the current Hilux dual-cab sold in Australia.

Toyota sold a total of 274,378 Tacomas in 2025, making it the ninth best-selling vehicle in the US and the brand's third-best-selling model behind the RAV4 and Toyota Camry sedan.