Hybrid Toyota Fortuner due in 2022 with diesel power – report
New reports suggest Toyota will launch a hybrid version of the Fortuner in 2022, based around a diesel engine – and other models, including the HiLux ute, could be waiting in the wings.
The 2022 Toyota Fortuner off-road SUV could gain a diesel-powered hybrid option in 2022, according to new reports out of Asia.
The Philippines-based Autoindustriya reports Toyota is readying a hybrid powertrain based around its 'GD' turbo-diesel engine family – as used in 2.4-litre '2GD-FTV' and 2.8-litre '1GD-FTV' forms in various Toyota vehicles in Australia – with the Fortuner SUV said to be the first model to benefit from the system, in the second quarter of 2022 (April to June inclusive).
Specific details of the powertrain are thin on the ground – including its power and torque outputs, and how much of a price premium it will attract – but the publication claims the diesel-hybrid system will focus on reducing emissions, rather than improving performance.
Autoindustriya's inside sources align with reporting from CNN Indonesia, claiming hybrid versions of the Fortuner SUV and South-East Asia's Innova people mover (based on the HiLux ute's platform) will commence production in Indonesia in 2022, as part of a plan to launch 10 hybrid models in the nation by 2026.
It's worth noting the launch of a hybrid Fortuner in Indonesia doesn't guarantee it will make its way to Australia, as Fortuners sold Down Under are sourced from Toyota's Thai plant (alongside the HiLux ute), versus Indonesian-market models which are assembled locally as part of a joint venture with local company PT Astra.
However, the investment associated with developing a new diesel-hybrid powertrain means Toyota would likely be keen to expand production to other manufacturing facilities to recoup costs.
It's likely the Fortuner and Innova won't be the only models to receive the hybrid system – meaning a hybrid Toyota Hilux ute might not be as far away as initially anticipated.
While it remains to be seen which engine in Toyota's 'GD' family will receive the electrification treatment, only the smaller 110kW 2.4-litre '2GD-FTV' turbo-diesel is available in the non-hybrid Fortuner in Indonesia – suggesting the larger 150kW, 2.8-litre 1GD-series engine offered as standard in Australia's Fortuner could miss out on electric assistance.
Above: 2.8-litre '1GD-FTV' diesel engine, under the bonnet of an Australian-delivered 2021 Toyota Fortuner.
Toyota has committed to offering a hybrid version of every model it sells by 2030 – a delay from the initial 2025 target announced in recent years – including the HiLux and Fortuner off-roaders.
“Today we’re making a solid commitment that we will have … an aggressive target … to have electrification across the entire range by 2030, excluding GR," Toyota sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley told Drive in April 2021.
However, the executive conceded utes, four-wheel-drives and vans "were always going to [have] a slightly delayed response to electrification than passenger cars and SUVs" – though the brand's electrification rollout will eventually expand to HiLux, Fortuner, LandCruiser and HiAce "at some point” by 2030.
More details of the diesel 2022 Toyota Fortuner Hybrid – and a possible HiLux Hybrid sibling – are expected to follow closer to its rumoured second-quarter 2022 (April to June inclusive) launch date.