Toyota trademarks GR Hilux name in Oz

Monday, 2 March 2020

With $65,000 worth of mods and accessories, the Hilux Gladiator cost a hefty $120,000 when new. The Hilux Mako has been developed from that and costs a LOT less.

Toyota may be more serious about building a more performance-oriented Hilux than it's letting on. A new trademark has surfaced over in Australia, linking the 'GR Hilux' name to the Japanese automaker.

The company has previously said any vehicle given the 'GR' prefix will come with 'noticeable' performance upgrades, which aren't restricted to the powertrain alone.

A GR Sport Hilux already exists as a South American exclusive, which uses a 4.0-litre V6 to generate 175kW and 375Nm. However, if it wants to dethrone the Ranger Raptor, Toyota will need to extract a bit more spice than that.

Perhaps Toyota could use the Gladiator as a base for the GR Hilux?

The current diesel-powered Ranger Raptor offers 157kW/500Nm while the rumoured V8 version would up the ante to 343kW/570Nm if it retains the output of the Mustang GT, which would donate its engine.

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It certainly has the off-road chops to go up against Ford's Ranger Raptor and a more fruity powertrain will only close the gap.

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CarsGuide reached out to Toyota Australia to get more information and was told: 'It is standard practice for our parent company to reserve vehicle names that could potentially be used in future, as a means of protecting that name for future use. This is done in all key markets as a matter of course.

'There are definitely no plans to introduce a GR Hilux at this stage, but as always, it is something that we would definitely not rule out for the future, especially with the high level of interest locally for high performance utes.'

It added that if such a vehicle would come to market, it would be inspired by the Hilux that currently competes in the Dakar Rally.

The next generation of Hilux is expected to bow in 2023. If the Internet rumour mill is to be believed, Toyota may merge the platforms of the Hilux and Tacoma, which may allow the larger pick-up to be sold locally. We'll wait and see, though.