Electric Toyota Hiace rumoured for 2025 debut

Reports out of Japan have indicated that Toyota could debut a fully electric version of its Hiace van by 2025.

The claims come from noted motoring outlet Best Car Web. In a recent report it detailed that Toyota is currently working on a dedicated plug-in Hiace; a model that could be big news for the commercial sector. Toyota has yet to respond to the claims.

According to the report, the model will share the same e-TNGA architecture as the company’s upcoming bZ4X and its Subaru cousin, the Solterra.

The outlet adds that the plug-in Hiace is likely to feature slightly less storage space inside in order to accommodate its battery system.

In Japan, Toyota does not sell the ‘current’ Hiace offered in New Zealand. Instead it continues to sell the boxier previous generation Hiace.

It’s likely that the arrival of a new Hiace in Japan will share more commonalities with the Hiace offered in markets like New Zealand’s, than the current Japan market model.

As previously reported, it has been speculated by other Japanese outlets that Toyota is preparing to debut a plug-in hybrid Hiace in 2023, utilising the brand’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid powertrain.

Back in May it was confirmed that Toyota Motor Europe is developing a large, fully electric van alongside Stellantis. It’s believed that the van is likely to be a European exclusive, and unlikely to be available in New Zealand.

Toyota Motor Europe already sells some electric vans, in the form of the Proace City, Proace Electric and Proace Verso Electric. Each was launched to the region in 2021, mated to a 50kWh battery with range of up to 222km.

All three are based on shared Stellantis platforms, and none are available in Asia or Australasia.

In a statement issued to EVs & Beyond in May following the news of Toyota Motor Europe partnering with Stellantis on a plug-in van project, Toyota New Zealand general manager of product planning and new vehicles, Steve Pragnell, said the brand was interested in bringing an electric van to the local market.

“Due to the commercially sensitive nature of future product plans, we are unable to share any local information at this stage. However, if we were offered an electric version of a van for the local market, we would consider it as part of our product planning for the future,” Pragnell said.