"They'll reject it": Toyota exec on why electric utes can't be rushed

Toyota won’t rush to the EV ute table, according to a Toyota Australia executive, who criticised the idea that first on the market is best.

When asked if an eventual electric or zero emission ute from the brand could convince HiLux buyers to take the leap, Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said the company wouldn’t offer a product that didn’t live up to the current version.

Mr Hanley told CarsGuide “the only barrier is what perception allows us to have” when it comes to convincing dual-cab ute customers that the product is right for them.

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“I think if it's affordable, practical, fit for purpose, and does the things they want, they'll come. They’ll buy it.

“Don’t try to give them something that’s overpriced and doesn’t do anything they want it to do because they’ll reject it.”

Mr Hanley could have been referring to the only factory electric ute on sale in Australia, the LDV eT60, and if so, was being diplomatic about it. When asked directly for his thoughts on the LDV, Mr Hanley said it was an indicator that it’s too early for dual-cab buyers to take that step.

“Well, I don't know how that vehicle is going, I really don't, but I think that gives you a pointer to just how expensive it is to do something like that. It's not cheap.”

Other EV utes are currently available, mostly for fleets, and only by converting current diesel utes into electric utes - a fairly costly process.

“And whilst I can't comment on converters, because I really don't know a lot about them, and we don't have associations with those organisations, what I can say is that Toyota prides itself on our quality and durability, reliability.”

So far, the LDV eT60 is the only factory electric ute on sale in Australia. (Image: Tom White)

Mr Hanley was clear in stating Toyota wouldn’t be pressured into an EV ute until the brand was ready.

“And when we put a BEV out to the market, it will come fully backed by Toyota. And I think that trust factor is important.

“But you know, there's a lot of startups, there's a lot of converters, there's a lot of new competitors. So it's a competitive market.”

“We have to stand by what we believe in. And our belief is the right product will bring the market, will meet the needs and requirements of the Australian public. 

“It's taken us a long time, over many decades, to refine hybrid electric vehicles to the point where we've now earned the trust of our customers to say, ‘this is a truly good, reliable car. It does everything I want it to do. And I don't I don't have any problems with it’. 

“We want them to say the same thing about BEVs, fuel-cell electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids. We want them to say when they get into this bZ4X [for example], they go ‘wow, this is truly a good car.”