[Franco Cozzo]

First Drive: Toyota's $10,000 Pickup Truck Is Perfect. So, Why Are We Sad?
This Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series lookalike is a no-frills, cost-reduced Hilux flatbed/pickup optimized for lower-GDP markets.

The Toyota Tacoma pickup is built in America for Americans and Canadians, to dodge the "chicken tax," but 181 other countries around the world get the Toyota Hilux pickup. It looks a bit like our Tacoma, but more basic. You'd recognize it from global news footage of relief aid or conflict areas. Well, apparently it had gotten a trifle fancy and at about $15,200 to start, it was pricing itself out of some of those markets. The Toyota IMV 0 intends to fill in that low-cost space beneath the Hilux with a target starting price of $10,000. It made its debut at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, wearing cool Land Cruiser 70 Series style. Shortly after the Tokyo show, we took one for a spin.

Back to Basics

Toyota has rethought every inch if this truck with an eye toward cost optimization and delivering everything that's absolutely necessary and nothing that's not. The development team even invited upfitters from around the globe to weigh in on how to better optimize the chassis and cab for to prepare them for aftermarket builds. Here are some the changes, what's still included, or what's been left out:

All flat glazing for the windshield, side, and rear windows
Flatbed with no sides as standard, with a limited number of upgrades like the drop-side model we drove
No anti-lock braking, but a load-sensitive proportioning valve is standard, and ABS will be optional (Hilux's standard ABS makes it difficult for upfitters to install heavier-duty rear axles)
No airbags (these will also be optionally available or standard in some markets)
No armrests, just door pockets that double as door pulls
Crank windows
Plastic and rubber galore inside
Hilux control-arm, coil-sprung front/leaf-sprung rear chassis easily upgraded for higher GVWR

Gas or Diesel 4-Cylinder Power

Exact powertrain specs have not been disclosed, but we presume our example was fitted with the Hilux's entry 2.0-liter 139-hp four-cylinder gas engine and a five-speed manual transmission. (We're guessing the diesel will be the 2.4-liter 150-hp Hilux unit, but several engines are likely to be offered.)

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...mobility-show/

Australian version will have airbags and ABS, and priced competitively with the VDJ79 at only $105,000 DA.