Toyota Prado petrol-electric hybrid "not ruled out" for Australia

The all-new Toyota Prado petrol-electric hybrid could arrive in Australia if it meets local market conditions.

In Australia, the electrified 2024 Toyota Prado will be in the form of mild 48-volt assistance for the familiar 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel, also coming to select HiLux variants in 2024.

Toyota Australia said it will not market the battery-assist system in the new Prado as a ‘mild-hybrid’, instead referring to it as ‘48-Volt Technology’ because the electric motor is unable to “propel the vehicle either together or independently” – unlike Toyota’s series-parallel-hybrid vehicles.

Missing from the local line-up at launch is the full-hybrid 2.4-litre petrol-electric powertrain that will be standard-fit in North America and China.

Toyota Australia vice president for sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said the LandCruiser hybrid hasn’t been ruled out for Australia, but it’d need to meet towing capacity and other requirements Australian consumers expect.

“We certainly haven’t ruled [LandCruiser Prado hybrid] out,” he said.

“Our global president certainly has indicated the acceleration of BEV technologies, I think we’re starting to see some of that become more public now.

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“However, at the moment… it’s just not part of our product plan.”

“We’ve really got to look at the US car, make sure it can tow, make sure [it suits Australian conditions]. If in fact, it can do those things, then certainly it’s a car we’d be interested to bring into the Australian market.”

The addition of 48-volt technology to the diesel Prado is said to help improve fuel consumption in urban settings, while the transmission has shifted to an eight-speed torque-converter unit, up from six speeds.

Hanley said "three years of local development” was conducted on the 48-volt system to ensure it is “100 per cent suited to Australia’s harsh conditions and customer demands, dust, mud, water, heat, heavy towing, and the high power load drawn by accessories”.

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Full-hybrid pushes outputs up to 243kW and 630Nm – beating a Ford Everest diesel V6 (184kW/600Nm).

The electrified components are identical to the new Toyota Tacoma mid-size ute with a single electric motor and a 1.87kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

The hybrid system is more truck-like compared to Toyota’s passenger vehicles, with the electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission.

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However, while diesel Prado variants have a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, the turbo-petrol hybrid is limited to 2.7 tonnes in the United States.

The new 2024 Toyota Prado diesel will arrive in local showrooms mid-year, with more details – including specific timing, pricing and features – to be announced closer to its Australian launch.