The new Toyota Hilux Champ has officially launched in Thailand, with the Japanese firm confirming the ladder-frame bakkie’s engine options, payload capacity and more…

Meet the new Toyota Hilux Champ. Orders for the Japanese firm’s latest ladder-frame bakkie have officially opened in Thailand, with the company also announcing details of the engine line-up and load-carrying capacity.

As a reminder, Toyota revealed the IMV 0 Concept in Thailand towards the end of 2022, before showing off a few interesting applications of the bakkie concept in August 2023.Further iterationswere then unwrapped at the Japan Mobility Show 2023, while a production-ready version was spotted wearing the “Hilux Champ” badge earlier in November.

A Hilux Champ customised as a camper.

Now, Toyota has confirmed the Hilux Champ nameplate (one that South Africans will associate with the Rosslyn-built Nissan 1400 bakkie that preceded theNP200), offering its new single-cab workhorse in both short- and long-wheelbase form. At launch in Thailand, as many as 8 grades are on offer, while 11 customised models were shown. There is also an “unequipped” version featuring a flat deck with bolt holes at various locations, allowing custom accessories to be attached.

So, what about the engines range? Well, in Thailand, the new 2-seater Hilux Champ will be offered with a choice of 3 powerplants that will be familiar to Hilux buyers here in South Africa. There’s the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol unit (102 kW and 183 Nm), the likewise atmospheric 2.7-litre petrol motor (122 kW and 245 Nm) and the 2.4-litre turbodiesel mill. Initially at least, all drive the rear axle only.

Delivery vehicle, anyone?

The oil-burning motor makes 110 kW and 400 Nm, and will be available with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission (yes, just like in Hilux). The payload capacity for this rear-wheel-drive Champ derivative is listed as 1000 kg, while the gross vehicle mass (GVM) appears to be somewhere in the region of 2790 kg.

The long-wheelbase version boasts 3 085 mm between its axles, precisely the same distance between the axles of the current-gen Hilux. It measures 5 300 mm from nose to tail, which is 30 mm longer than a single-cab Hilux but 25 mm shorter than extended- and double-cab versions of Toyota’s big-selling bakkie. It’s 1 785 mm wide (a touch narrower than a standard Hilux) and stands 1 740 mm tall.

In Thailand, the Champ can be fitted with a number of accessories.

In Thailand, prices run from 459 000 to 577 000 baht, which translates to pricing bookends of R244158 and R306926 at the prevailing exchange rate (27 November 2023). So, on that note, will we see the new Hilux Champ – which has already gone into production at Toyota’s Samrong Plant in Thailand – in South Africa, too?

Well, that remains to be seen, but it’s worth keeping in mind that earlier in 2023, as reported byIOL Motoring, Toyota SA Motors executives hinted at an upcoming model that could slot inbelowthe Hilux and likely be built at the same factory in KwaZulu-Natal. It’s looking more and more likely the Champ (if it indeed wears that badge here) will be that bakkie, considering it seemingly shares its underpinnings with the current-generation Hilux…

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