2016 Toyota HiLux design leaked in product brochure
The first image of the yet to be released 2016 Toyota HiLux has been seen online via a leaked product brochure.
Published on the Ferd fan Facebook page, the front-end image (pictured above) shows a muscular design for the new HiLux. Featuring halogen or bi-xenon headlights and what appears to be LED daytime running lights.
Flared wheel arches front and rear, along with a chrome grille form a departure from the traditional HiLux shape.
Previously leaked spy photos (pictured above), which showed a base model HiLux, suggest the chrome grille and halogen projector or bi-xenon headlights, along with LED daytime running lights, won't feature on entry-level vehicles.
The previous spy photos also indicate the extruded 'Toyota' stamp is no longer prominent on the rear end. This could be a simple omission from pre-production vehicles, considering it has been a model-specific staple for some time.
The new Toyota HiLux is expected to launch with a longer and wider tray to match the dimensions on offer from the likes of the Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50.
While details regarding engines for the new ute are yet to be made public, we expect the new model to launch with a new or heavily revised version of its best-selling 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. Also expected to receive an upgrade is the ageing five-speed automatic and manual transmission currently fitted to the HiLux.
Equally, revised petrol variants - currently comprising a 2.7-litre four-cylinder and a 4.0-litre six-cylinder - are yet to be confirmed.
The Toyota HiLux was Australia's most popular ute in 2014, notching up 38,126 sales - enough to see it finish the year as the country's third best-selling car.
The 2016 Toyota HiLux is expected to be unveiled closer to the end of the year and is likely to arrive into local showrooms the following year.