In the seaside city of Pattaya, Toyota is going to set up a fleet of electric pickup trucks that will be used as taxis. According to the company, a trial of the new electric vehicle will soon begin in Thailand, where pickup trucks account for nearly half of all vehicle sales.
At the moment, Toyota holds a commanding 34% market share in Thailand for new car sales. This action is Toyota's calculated reaction to new market trends and comes in response to the launch of multiple new electric vehicles by Chinese automakers.
There is obviously a lot of unrealized potential in the realm of electric pickups, as pickup trucks accounted for around half of all vehicles sold in Thailand in 2022. Pras Ganesh, executive vice president of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing, revealed that work is in progress on a local electric pickup during a recent interview with Reuters. He continued by saying that Toyota is expanding its nationwide EV research and development team. Ganesh claims that in early 2024, a limited number of battery-electric pickup trucks will be used as taxis in Pattaya.
Toyota released an all-electric pickup truck concept, centered on the Hilux, eleven months ago. This car was unveiled in Thailand, appropriately, and it will soon be available for use on the road.
Toyota did not specify when the model would be available for purchase. The IMV 0 idea, which made its debut at the same occasion and was also on exhibit at the Japan Mobility Show last month, might be the second option. The IMV 0 was introduced as a completely new IMV modular light commercial truck intended for Thailand, promising to be both really innovative and reasonably priced.
According to MarkLines, Toyota has a 39% market share in the one-ton pickup truck market in Thailand during the first nine months of this year. While electric pickups have yet to arrive in the United States, a slew of enticing new EVs from China have, including BYD's Atto 3, Dolphin, and Seal, as well as Great Wall Motor's Ora Good Cat. This year, battery-electric vehicles are estimated to account for little less than 9% of total new car sales in Thailand.