The Country 17/11/25: Andrew Davis talks to Jamie Mackay

The VP of Toyota NZ previews the new 2026 Hilux with the "Cyber Sumo" design theme!

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The next porter call on the country is Palmi North,
the one or two region, the farming capital of the country.
That's what Hamish mackay keeps telling me. Anyhow, Hey there,
Toyota is headquartered. I was talking to the Toyota teams
at the Gisbon and christ Church shows and they've got
a new high Lux coming out as well as a
new Rav four. Andrew Davis, vice president of Toyota, New Zealand,

(00:24):
I love the americanization there. When can we expect this
new Highlux?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, good, Jamie. So new Highlucks and Rare four as
you say, Highlus will launch early next year. But we've
actually got orders open now for customers already. In the
modern world, people see the vehicles online, they know what
they want, and we're open and ready to take their
orders on Highlucks.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Well, I had a look at it online just so
I'd be prepared for this chat. And it's got like
a smart new grill. It's quite a masculine, should I
say that boxy sort of look. And then I looked
at your PR release and you decide and you described
the design theme is cyber Sumo. That was an interesting choice.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, yeah, well it's just the modern spin really the
sort of cyber references. The new modern front styling face
we've got on the vehicle. It's got one hundred millimeter
of higher waiting depth at the front or kind of
eNTRI angle when you're climbing hills in a higher eyebrow line.
So it's lifted the front up a bit. And when
you look at the front styling and obviously the side

(01:25):
treatments near the front wheels, it kind of looks like
a crouching sumo. So that's where that had come from.
And obviously, you know Japan and Australia co designed this
vehicle along with the team in Thailand, so that's year.
That's the reference they give it.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
So two point eight leater turbo diesel powered the High
Laxes as opposed to the Ram Force because they're like
a fall on hybrid. The High Laxes have a mild
hybrid power train. I think it sits under the one
of the seats, forty eight volt battery. What does this
actually give you?

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, so mild hybrid rather than what we would call
a full hybrid, a like a RAV four as you reference,
what a mild hybrid allows us to do is to
retain things like towing capacity that Highlux is known for
a three and a half ton. So hybrid technology is
coming on thick and fast, but we've got to make
sure that you know, a rural customers, people that use
their highlucks Is for what they're designed for, have the

(02:17):
same reliability. So a mild hybrid provides an ability to
stop start if you're in town, if you're something the lights,
the engine can turn off and on. It gives you
a little bit more power when you apply throttle when
you pull away with a trailer or items like that,
and it regenerates obviously when you decelerate, so no need
to plug it in. As you say with high Lux.
The battery is in the back. It's quite a small

(02:38):
battery and it's a similar system to the TOID Deprata
that we've just launched where it provides assistance, but unlike
a REV four that's a full hybrid system, it can't
run on the hybrid system alone.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
When are these things going to be hitting the market.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
So we're hoping February March. We're just working through arrival
timings now. As I say, we've basically run out of
all of the previous generation Highlux vehicles, which are still
an awesome vehicle. So our dealers are open and ready
to take orders. Now they've got everything they need to
talk it through with customers, So jump into your store.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
What's my entry level for a brand new Highlucks a
twenty twenty six model with the Cybersumo design than.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
So forty nine nine ninety so just under fifty grand,
and that's that's actually for a two wood drive variant.
Two would drive is less popular than it used to be.
Lots of customers are now shifting to full ward drive
just gives them a safer option and a little more capability.
But we've got a two point eight lead to two
would drive still, it's the SR double cab and that's
priced at forty nine nine ninety so sub fifty grand.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Damn good value. Andrew Davis out of Parmi North, Thanks
for some of your time, no problems, Thank you,