The Upcoming Toyota Hilux ‘Travo’ *MIGHT* Look Like This

Current (eigth) generation Toyota Hilux pictured. It seems a new ninth generation successor may bow in Thailand, called the Toyota Hilux 'Travo', very soon this year.

Seasoned readers will know by now that the evergreen Toyota Hilux 4x4 pick-up truck is set to see a new ninth-generation iteration bow soon – perhaps sometime this year.

Fuelling this are recent reports that Toyota trademarked a new Hilux ‘Travo’ nameplate in Thailand – where the 4x4 pick-truck model is both developed and produced en-masse. Around the same time, a heavily camouflaged prototype has also been spotted undergoing tests out in the open in said Kingdom.

Camouflsged prototype recently sighted in Thailand. (Image: Headlightmag.com)

Based on the latter sighting, renowned local digital automotive render artist Chin Swee Hoe (@Theottle) has taken the liberty to give us arguably a very close idea of what the upcoming new Toyota Hilux ‘Travo’ could look like when it officially debuts.

Despite the heavy camouflage, Chin was able to trace out the lines that shape the face of the new Hilux ‘Travo’ prototype. The rest of the render sees Chin taking liberal inspiration form Toyota’ current crop of rugged 4x4 and SUV designs – i.e. new Tacoma and Land Cruiser.

Other ‘contemporary’ Toyota touches Chin added here include the sharp, angular motif of the fog lamp housing, slimmer headlights, distinct new grille with honeycomb-shaped inserts finished in black, as well as a new tailgate with even more pronounced and chiselled lines added.

Overall, Chin’s vision of what the upcoming Toyota Hilux ‘Travo’ does seem convincing, and we’re certain much – if not all – that Chin incorporated here might pan out accordingly. Of course, we’ll still have to wait a little to see this.

As reported prior, the next-gen Toyota Hilux is set to carry over and underpin the current model’s chassis platform, albeit with several key updates on top of a full redesign. It is also expected to adopt an updated turbo-diesel powerplant that’s Euro 5 and Euro 6 compliant.

There’s also the added possibility that Toyota could introduce a mild-hybrid (MHEV) powertrain option of this new-gen Hilux pick-up truck too – the firm has done so with the current-gen Hilux in Australia, the UK and Europe. Of course, this remains merely as a speculation, for now.

We’ll have more on the latest-gen Toyota Hilux ‘Travo’ when it officially debuts. In the meantime, what do you folks think of Chin’s render for which? If this is how the next Hilux could look like, would you be keen on one too? Share your take in the comments below…