While at the Overland Expo in Colorado this past weekend, I was amazed to find an inexpensive Toyota truck not offered for sale here in the U.S. That truck is the adorable $15,000 Toyota Hilux Champ sold in Thailand, Indonesia, and The Philippines, and Toyota was showing off an off-road version to see if America might be interested.
As we’ve learned in our coverage of REO, a new company established ostensibly to sell a cheap, back-to-basics pickup truck in the U.S., there is lots of demand for simplicity in a marketplace filled with overpriced, overcomplicated trucks. Slate, too, is trying to capitalize on this interest. It’s not a surprise, then, that, when Toyota’s Thailand division showed off its Hilux Champ a few years ago with a starting price the equivalent of $13,000, Americans became obsessed.
Americans want inexpensive, back-to-basic pickup trucks (or, at least we say we do), and the Hilux Champ is as back-to-basics as it gets, as Mercedes wrote in her coverage of the Southeast Asian workhorse:
In late 2022 during Toyota Motor Thailand’s 60th anniversary celebrations, the automaker pulled the covers off of what it called the Toyota IMV 0. This trucklet is based on the same platform underpinning the Hilux but with extreme cost-cutting to bring the price down. The result was the Toyota Hilux Champ, which made its debut last year. Toyota says the Champ is about going back to its roots of providing truly affordable workhorses for the masses.
The little ‘Yota is still a capable truck and is designed from customer input, but costs about $13,000 at current exchange rates compared to about $17,000 for the regular Hilux. That’s some good savings! Of course, it’s hard to compare the two very different markets of the United States and Thailand, but think of the Hilux Champ as being like Thailand’s Ford Maverick, a truck for those who don’t want to or can’t pay for an expensive truck. Only, the Toyota is still a body-on-frame rear-wheel-drive truck.
To illustrate just how cheap the Hilux Champ is, the standard configuration for the truck calls for 14-inch steel wheels, no radio, no screens, no tachometer, just one sun visor, a PVC bench seat, and manual transmission, just like the old days. You can even have any color you want, so long as it’s grayscale. However, it’s not completely stuck in the past as the Thailand market version comes with ABS, power windows, and two airbags. Its interior also looks like a scaled-down version of Toyota’s big trucks and I love that.
Toyota noticed this interest and decided to take action, flying the chief engineer and a modified Hilux Champ all the way to Colorado to show off this vehicle at the Overland Expo Mountain West show this past weekend:
View this post on Instagram
My friends at The Fast Lane Truck interviewed Jurachart Jongusuk, the Thai chief engineer of the Hilux Champ, and Don Federico, Vice President of Vehicle Performance Development and Chief Engineer of Special Mobility Operations.
“We’re constantly exploring mobility,” Federico told TFL. “We heard the voice from the internet and customers when it launched in Thailand — ‘Wow this would be awesome to have here in the U.S.’ So we wanted to bring it in this concept form as a recreation/overlander/utility product for off-road use only, and wanted to see what customers would say.”
Jongusuk described some of the modifications to the stock Champ shown below, a vehicle that is normally a rather low-riding, rear-wheel-drive, long-bed commercial vehicle and not really an off-roader. “The expectation of US people is totally different,” he said, mentioning that the vehicle had been converted to 4×4, it features a different engine, and its bed has been shortened for improved off-road capability. It’s also been lifted and outfitted with larger, more aggressive tires.
As mentioned in the interview below, as with Toyota’s side-by-side concept, this Champ concept tried to leverage the company’s existing parts bin. In this case, the vehicle used various components from the Toyota FJ Cruiser offered overseas. That’s this vehicle:
Federico says the concept vehicle has a V6, though he also calls it a “1GD,” which is an inline-four as I understand, so that’s not clear to me. Per TFL, the stock 2GD-FTV and five-speed manual found in the Champ has been replaced with some sort of 4.0-liter V6 gas motor and six-speed auto. Here’s more from TFL:
It has a 4Hi/4Lo transfer case, a solid rear axle with a locking differential, and a lifted suspension. The engineer told us that the front suspension mounts are the same as on a 3rd-generation Toyota Tacoma.
Many of the parts you see here are interchangeable with some other Toyota vehicles. The enterior has a modern look, but it’s very simple. There is very little sound insulation. There is a vinyl floor and vinyl seats. However, it appears to have a climate control system with AC and power windows. The interior is comfortable and functional, but the driver’s seat is a little too low for my liking. The sitting position is similar to the 3rd-generation Tacoma.
Toyota says a Hilux Champ concept may have up to 1,700 lbs of payload and 5,500 lbs of towing capacity. These are great numbers for a vehicle this size.
I personally don’t get this as an off-road-only vehicle. This Hilux Champ 4×4 is just a normal, old-school truck from a few years ago; to me, it’s not enough of a toy. For one, it’s too big and heavy (3,000+ pounds) to be amazing off-road, and its suspension geometry isn’t exactly going to wow anyone on the gnarly stuff either. What’s more, can Toyota really get it cheaper than the much lighter (~1,800 pounds), likely more-capable $20,000 Polaris Ranger ($23,000 for the four-door), for example?
Then again, a Toyota badge goes a long way. And as a farm-use workhorse that can tow and haul (possibly 1,700 lbs of payload and 5,500 lbs of towing capacity, per TFL!), this thing could indeed be a Champ, especially for folks in states that allow side-by-sides on the road.
Top graphic images: David Tracy; Toyota
Make it street legal with available air, 4wd and automatic, and I’d get one. I’d probably upgrade the tires, and that would be it.
Wait. Didnt toyota circumvent the chicken tax by shipping US tacomas sans bed. Add bed here. Viola – no tax
This is indicative of something IMO, the TFL video of this truck is at 433,000 views in three days, if you look at the past dozen or so TFL videos they are nowhere close to the view count for the Hilux Champ, I think people are clamoring for a compact pickup, me included.
If TFL was smart they would do more videos of this truck just for view count and engagement.
by the time you add chicken tax and “retaliatory” tarrifs this thing is going to be $38,000 they will sell this just to raise the price of the Tacoma so they make more profit off of broke people.
Can’t we just get the Panda and call it a day? And if one of you members hadn’t banished Suzuki we might have been able to snag a Jimny.
Needs 23″ wheels, 3′ more grill, and 2.5 acres of leather to sell here.
No, people want the thing as it is! This would also sell in Australia.
I think they are trying to figure out a way to get it to market – I’m pretty sure it doesn’t meet safety standards so could never be for road use so that only leaves off road or farm duties.
No. No. No, no, no, no, no. Bring it here. Add a radio, airbags and a version with what ever engine is in the corolla. Stick and available auto. Make it road legal. They would have the market to themselves. Stop over thinking “the American Market”
What is this weird American obsession with, if I dont want it no one will want it? Small 70s 80s and 90s Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Isuzu and Mitsubishi pickups are excellent off road and can carry tons of weight in the bed, I know I’ve done it. As to no will buy a small compact pickup, you cant buy something that doesnt exist.
While I think your first sentence is a bit silly (respectfully), I do concur that, as far as trucks go, small ones are the best off-road. I’m a huge fan of them to the point where I traded my Chevy K1500 for a Jeep Comanche and then loaded that thing up with 2000 pounds of steel. Bring back the small trucks! (But make them road legal plz).
I remember many times loading up my 86 and 85 Toyota 4×4 rclb trucks with sawmill cutoffs that weighed more than the truck (I went over the scale) then off toading the crap out of them on the weekends, i think i would buy the Hilux Champ even if it wasn’t road legal, I just want a compactish pickup again.
Addendum, my Toyota pickups had cab high expanded metal side racks which is why it could haul so much sawmill cutoffs, usually 8 feet long.
The baby Land Cruiser will be a Lexus and it will replace the UX.
please say more
At every single Lexus USA meeting with dealers there have been discussions about the “baby GX” and now I’m hearing it is likely a reality. It’s the only way to make the FJ work due to tariffs. I am hoping they put a Lexus motor in it, though, because 4000 RPM at highway speeds doesn’t seem refined. It may be a slightly different car than the current one also due to production being in Thailand.
I’ll be a goddamn day one purchase.
I had a well-used GX470 followed by a perfect, wonderful GX460 that could do anything I wanted to except get good mileage.
High miles meant I downsized to a Corolla hatch that I also love. I just picked up an Element for cheap…imagine a Toy/Lexus FJ with that sort of utility?
Day one purchase, and I am confident I’m not alone
If they do come out with the Lexus GBX or GXX or whatever they’ll call it, the resale value is going to be stupid if you get one of the first ones. You will pay over sticker, but I’m sure still make money when you go to trade in. They’re going to be popular if they come!
The markup is my lone worry.
I bought the Corolla and made my wife cry when I said it would likely be the last new car I ever had to buy. I’m 53.
Assuming reasonable, tried and true running gear (2.7?), this would be the target to wear that crown.
Of course, I’m throwing a lift on my Corolla to get into the places I need to go, so we’ll see how that works