Not long ago, we reported that Toyota was looking into creating its own compact truck to compete against the Ford Maverick amid the tiny truck segment having absurdly high demand. Not to mention the Maverick has been stealing Toyota Rav4 sales since its release as it’s the top vehicle getting traded in for the tiny truck. But, beyond some chatting, nothing has really come up until recently, and the company is considering a Corolla-based truck to compete against the likes of the Maverick and, eventually, the Ram Rampage. Other brands, such as Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Subaru, have also hinted at offering up small trucks for willing and able American customers.
Toyota Corolla-Based Compact Truck: Details
It may sound strange to hear “Corolla” and “pickup” in the same sentence, but when you think about the platform needed to create a compact truck, it makes sense. Long ago, in eons past, the Toyota Tacoma was once king of small utilitarian trucks; then vehicles grew, and over the years, the once tiny pickup became a full-grown mid-size truck. As for the baby pickup, the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are based on each brand’s small flexible front-wheel drive unibody platform, not a body-on-frame chassis. That would mean Toyota would follow this plan and use the platform the Corolla and Corolla Cross ride on.
According to The Drive, the Ford Maverick can tow 4,000 lbs, and the Hyundai Santa Cruz can tow 5,000 lbs, making both trucks quite mighty for their size. However, the Corolla Cross is only capable of 1,500 lbs, which means they’re going to need to give the chassis some serious beefing up to make a competitive hauler. Additionally, the Toyota Corolla is built in Mississippi, and the Corolla Cross is built in Alabama, so if a Corolla-based pickup does end up reaching the market, it will likely be manufactured in the ‘States and not across the Pacific.
Toyota has been quite busy with expanding its product line, so adding a tiny truck would be a huge play by the company, considering how popular they are right now. With the longstanding popularity of Tacoma, a compact truck makes sense.
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