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New Toyota HiLux back on! Updated model due in late August

The mid-life facelift for the Toyota HiLux is due in Australian showrooms in late August, dealers have been told.


This is about a month later than the third week of July – the original arrival date – but earlier than expected after dealers asked for the new model to be delayed amid fears they were overstocked with the runout vehicle.

Stronger than expected sales of the Toyota HiLux in late April and throughout May has seen a return to form faster than the industry had initially forecast in the wake of the coronavirus lockdowns.

 

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The two Toyota factories in Thailand that produce the HiLux paused production for four weeks due to COVID-19 lockdowns and are now expected to start ramping up production of the new model in the coming weeks.

Dealers contacted by CarAdvice said they were concerned they may run out of certain models in the current Toyota HiLux range due to sharp drive-away deals in the lead-up to June 30 – and a quicker market recovery than had been anticipated.

 

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Toyota Australia declined to comment on any future model plans or provide an estimate of when an updated Toyota HiLux might be due.

The current generation Toyota HiLux was released in 2015 and, if history is a guide, a mid-life facelift is imminent.

As reported previously, CarAdvice has been told the updated model will get a new front end appearance and a modest power boost for the 2.8-litre turbo diesel, among other expected changes such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, to bring the top-seller in line with other models in the Toyota range.

Images of what appeared to be a facelifted Toyota HiLux were published by a website in the Middle East earlier this year, however it is unclear if they are official photos, or renderings of what the new model could look like.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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