The all-new Toyota Stout small pickup truck is coming to the U.S., and it may be sooner than we ever expected! Here are some of our predictions. This is not an official statement from Toyota.
Why make a small pickup truck for the United States sale? The compact pickup market continues to grow in the U.S.A. Take a look at our most recent 2023 sales report. The Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz continue to grow. Their combined sales increased by +17.9% in 2023 over 2022. The pickup truck is the best-selling vehicle in the United States, and a small and more affordable pickup is also growing in popularity.
What should Toyota call this new entry? How about the Toyota Stout!? This is a name that Toyota has used in the past (between 1954 and 1978). It’s an interesting name that is easy to remember and fits the character. Toyota continues to show images and video clips of a classic 1966 Toyota Stout 1900 on their ToyotaUSA Instagram page. OK, Toyota shows a lot of classic vehicles on their page as a TBT or FBF.
Why talk about this? Is this just a rumor? The strongest official evidence we have for this is the debut of the Toyota EPU small pickup truck concept at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Show. Tommy and Roman were there and they brought us a hands-on video of the Toyota EPU. This concept pickup was done by Toyota’s CALTY studio in California. It shows a finished concept interior and other fully-functioning elements such as a multi-folding tailgate and a folding midgate. This concept appears to be ready for production. Unfortunately, Toyota did not hint at any power or capability specs with this concept.
Still, the EPU concept means that the Toyota Stout may be all-electric. Could it have a gas/electric hybrid system or a range-extender? We don’t know.
If the Toyota Stout is coming, where would it be built? It would have to be built in the United States or NAFTA (Canada or Mexico) to avoid the 25% “Chicken” import tax. We are guessing at this, but it may be built in TMMK (Kentucky) or TMMI (Indiana) plants. These are large manufacturing centers for Toyota USA with the capability to produce something like this in large quantities.
There is another reason why the Stout pickup truck may be coming. To make the business case even stronger, Toyota may bring another vehicle alongside the Stout. We are talking about the rumored “baby Land Cruiser” or “Land Hopper“. This is a sub-compact electric crossover that Toyota has been hinting at.
What about Toyota Stout Specs? This compact EV pickup should have specs that are competitive against the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. It means it should have up to 1,500 lbs of payload in its most basic configuration, and up to 4,000-5,000 lbs of towing capability. If it is electric, it should have around 250 miles of range and relatively quick recharge capability (around 200 kW or more). This is tough to pin down because Toyota is working on solid-state batteries as well, and the new battery capability is a moving target.
If it’s electric, then a starting price could be near $39,995. This is also very difficult to pin down right now. It may also qualify for some tax incentives depending on where the batteries are made. If it’s a hybrid, then it could start at a lower price (perhaps as low as $29,995 or lower).
We hear rumblings that the Toyota Stout may reach production as early as 2025. Still, we must wait for official word from Toyota.
Let us know what you think. Are you interested in buying a Toyota Stout? Would you consider a hybrid version, an all-electric version, or neither?
