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CONFIRMED: New Toyota HiLux and Fortuner to be officially unveiled in days: Here's when you'll get a proper look at powered-up Ford Ranger rival

The new HiLux and Fortuner are about to be revealed.

The offical unveiling of the new HiLux and Fortuner is just days away, with Toyota to pull the covers off its powered-up Ford Ranger rival on June 4.

Toyota has begun officially teasing the unveiling with a shadow-filled image of the HiLux and Fortuner, promising to illuminate the darkness this Thursday. 

Expect Toyota in Australia to launch the HiLux in Australia as soon as possible. Initially scheduled for a July launch, the production date was pushed back after the Thai factories were shutters amidst the pandemic.

The official build date of the new HiLux was been bumped from May to June, meaning a four week delay, and an expected launch in Australia in August. 

The official unveiling follows com-gen images of the 2021 Toyota HiLux leaking online, with international sites publishing pictures that seemed to capture the new HiLux in final production guise, with a bold new front end, new grille and new LED headlights for top-spec models. The images also revealed new 17- or 18-inch alloys, a blacked-out treatment for the grille, new DRLs and a new rear light cluster.

There's big news under the bonnet, too, with a power boost to Toyota's 2.8-litre diesel engine that will up torque to around 150kW and 470Nm, putting it about on-par with the Ford Ranger.

It means the 2021 HiLux and Fortuner will a welcome an approximate 20kW and 20Nm increase from its current power outputs of 130kW and up to 450Nm.

Those changes will join the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the first time, ensuring Toyota's workhorse is significantly more user friendly than before.

While Toyota in Australia is yet to confirm timing for the updated Fortuner, we'd expect launch timings to near-enough mirror those of the HiLux. 

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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