A fresh report out of the US claims Toyota is mulling a Corolla-based bakkie. However, if the project gets the green light, the production version is still a few years away…

Over in the United States, Ford is struggling to keep up with demand for its sub-Ranger Maverick unibody bakkie. And, if a fresh report is to be believed, Toyota wants a piece of that pie as the Japanese firm is apparently mulling a Corolla-based bakkie.

According to Automotive News, a Corolla-based bakkie – which would battle the likes of the Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, and thus likely have a half-tonne-plus payload – “remains a possibility” and is very much “under discussion” at Toyota. The publication’s source claims such a model would likely be built at the company’s Mississippi factory.

Will the Corolla badge been extended to a bakkie next?

Earlier rumours suggested Toyota would revive the Stout nameplate for this model. The latest report states the proposed bakkie’s “appearance is a work in progress”, while the production version – should the project get the green light, of course – is “not expected in market until at least 2027”.

Since the 13th-generation Corolla is expected to debut around 2025, that suggests the proposed bakkie would be not be based on the existing version but rather developed alongside the upcoming generation. There’s also the possibility such a model could use the closely related Corolla Cross – which rides on the same TNGA-C platform as the hatch and sedan but is likely due a refresh in 2026 – as a base.

The IMV 0 concept (left) was unveiled in Thailand in December 2022.

Of course, these aren’t the first rumours of a new sub-Hilux bakkie. Earlier in 2023, as reported by IOL Motoring, Toyota SA Motors executives hinted at an upcoming model that could slot in below the popular Hilux and likely be built at the same factory in Prospecton, KwaZulu-Natal. As we’ve touched on before, however, this may well end up being a prolonged-lifecycle version of the Hilux (a “Hilux Quest”, if you will) rather than an all-new model (or indeed a unibody half-tonner).

Before that, Toyota took the wraps off a new “IMV 0 concept” single-cab bakkie in Thailand, suggesting the upcoming production version would be “designed to support economic growth and mobility for all”. From what we understand, such a model would also feature a ladder-frame rather than unibody construction.

Time will tell whether Toyota extends the 57-year-old Corolla nameplate – which is today used on a hatchback, sedan, wagon and crossover – to the bakkie body style…

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