The automotive industry is driven by high competition. You will not remain on the market for too long if you don’t attempt to up your competitors. In recent months Ford has made big strides in the pickup domain with its latest edition of Ford Maverick. Now, everyone is waiting for Toyota to provide an answer to the incoming danger. We, and everyone around us, believe that the answer from the Japanese manufacturer is going to be Toyota Stout.
The compact pickup truck market is a highly competitive one and it’s hard to believe that Toyota will not respond to whatever Ford has up its sleeve. The only answer we need to know is how long are we going to wait for a direct answer. So, what do we know about the mysterious Toyota Stout so far?
What We Know So Far?
What we know is that Toyota is quite secretive at the moment. But that won’t stop us or other automotive magazines from speculating. Sources from topspeed.com claim that since Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz got a warm reception, and offer affordable solutions in the pickup domain Toyota is expected to make a move. One could argue that the stage is set for a massive comeback and the old Stout trademark could be on the table.
Back in the day, Toyota was seen as one of the pioneers in the pickup truck department and it’s hard to imagine that they’ll allow themselves to be toppled now. This is why the rumors of the new Toyota Stout are starting to get louder. With the innovative touch that the Japanese manufacturer always has with its new models a remake of the Stout compact pickup truck makes real sense. But, how would the legend of old look these days?
Two Years of Rumors
The tale of Toyota Stout is not a new one. It dates back to 2022 when the rumors we have today were put into motion. It all started from Autoweb magazine which reported that Toyota filed a claim to trademark the Stout name once again. The moment this happened, we have been listening to stories of its resurgence.
To add oil to the fire, Toyota’s Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations in charge of North America stated that Toyota is in the play to launch something in the smaller pickup department. This story was confirmed during his interview with autonews.com.
Mr. Jack Hollis stated that the compact truck market lacks something that Toyota has to offer, and it’s easy to imagine that he has Stout on his mind.
Today, when the market is ready for a reset, Toyota Stout could do the trick considering that it was the vehicle that paved the way for Hilux and other pickup trucks Toyota consequently launched.
The Appearance – Old School or Modern Design?
At the moment we’re dealing with mere speculations and the only way to know how the new Toyota Stout will look is to use our imagination. Not to go overboard, and with a bit of luck, we had someone do the hard task for us.
According to Dimas Ramadhan, a virtual automotive artist, the new Stout is going to take a modern, even futuristic design. In the video below you can see the idea he tried to present to the public. As far as the Aichi-based company is concerned no plans were leaked as to how their new pickup could look.
The CGI-depicted Stout appears like a vehicle that would fit right somewhere in between Santa Cruz and Maverick. When you take a statement from Toyota’s SVP of Product and BEVs at Toyota North America that the company is planning to insert a new model right beneath Tacoma in their lineup, you get a bigger picture that Stout could be on the way.
The Power Behind New Stout?
It’s too early to speak of potential powertrains, as the amount of information regarding this model is scarce. But what we do know is the market and the direction in which it’s shifting.
Considering that today we have many SUVs and trucks that run on hybrid powertrains it shouldn’t come as a surprise to have the new Stout greet us as a hybrid-only vehicle.
As far as the other powertrains go, of those that could be in the mix, we can only think of a 265-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that comes from Highlander but is a little bit toned down.
Potential Pricing and Release Date
It’s too early to speak of a concrete release date, but different information is already circulating regarding it. According to Bob Carter, former Toyota EVP of sales, the company had a meeting in June to discuss the road they’ll take regarding the new installment in their pickup department. During the interview he had with MotorTrend it is evident that they will be more than ready in either 2024 or 2025. Regarding the price, we can only speculate that they will try to nest somewhere between the $22,595 Ford Maverick and the $25,700 Hyundai Santa Cruz.
Bottom Line
All that is left for us is to wait. As you can see, there’s plenty of information circling about the new Toyota Stout. There’s nothing concrete at the moment, but a few sources have clamoring that something is on the way from Toyota. Is it Stout? We don’t know, but we certainly hope that’s the case.
