Toyota is ramping up to take on the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz with a compact pickup of their own
That’s right. In a move that seems like a bit of a no-brainer, considering the mass popularity of compact pickup trucks like the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz, Toyota has confirmed that a compact truck of its own will hit North American dealerships in the near future, according to our very own Chase Bierenkoven. With Ford having sold upwards of one hundred thousand Mavericks in the States just last year, it’s surprising Toyota hadn’t thought to debut a compact pickup of its own much sooner. However, its arrival into the compact pickup segment should still have heavy-hitters like Ford and Hyundai worried, given Toyota’s proven and popular hybrid technology and typically top-tier resale values that will likely back the upcoming truck’s reputation.
Cole Attisha
Although we don’t have many more details from Toyota about its upcoming compact pickup other than the confirmation that it will be arriving, and that it will utilize a unibody platform, just as the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz do. Using a variety of generative text-to-image artificial intelligence software and Adobe Photoshop, we take an imagined look at what Toyota’s highly anticipated new pickup truck might look like, as well as speculate about what powertrains it might employ and what features it might pack. These renders are intended solely for speculative purposes and in no way resemble any actual Toyota product.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney AI
Toyota has plenty of pickup truck pedigree to play off of
Toyota would surely be remiss to exclude styling elements in their upcoming compact pickup that are evocative of larger, more rigid trucks from the Japanese automaker that already possess established and well-loved reputations for dependability and ruggedness. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if fixtures such as headlights and taillights were designed to echo the toughness of the full-size Toyota Tundra or the mid-size Toyota Tacoma. Even with its unibody construction, Toyota’s compact truck must live up to the brand’s legacy for rugged durability in practice, and having the looks to match its toughness will be essential for convincing buyers to choose it over rivals from Ford and Hyundai, which have already had a few years and a few facelifts to win over consumer loyalty.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney AI
Considering the popularity of the Ford Maverick’s hybrid variant, which can now finally be equipped with all-wheel drive as of its 2025 model year, it would not be remotely surprising to see Toyota integrate its very own hybrid technology into its upcoming compact pickup. I’d expect to see something similar to what the 2026 Toyota RAV4 will pack under its hood, namely a 236-horsepower 2.5-liter hybrid four-cylinder powertrain, which can reportedly tow up to 3,500 pounds in the newly released RAV4 Hybrid – 1,500 pounds more than what the front-wheel drive Ford Maverick Hybrid is capable of towing, but 500 pounds less than what the Ecoboost-powered all-wheel-drive Maverick can haul.
The 2026 Toyota RAV4 will also offer an optional 320-horsepower plug-in hybrid variant, which would make for an interesting offering in the compact pickup segment, as no other automaker currently offers such a powertrain in this class. The RAV4’s PHEV variant will also be available in “GR Sport” guise with performance enhancements. If the upcoming pickup gains such a trim package, it could make for an intriguing rival for Ford’s thrilling yet capable Maverick Lobo, which I have on test this week and absolutely adore.
Cole Attisha Using Midjourney
Final thoughts
It’s not at all surprising that Toyota has decided to add a small pickup truck to its lineup. In fact, what’s more astonishing is that it hasn’t already done so, along with a slew of other brands that seem to be missing out on the compact truck party. I can think of countless examples of brands that should either be reviving long-lost truck nameplates or creating new ones, like the Outback-based Subaru Baja, the Chevrolet Montana, which is popular in South America, and the Ram Rampage that is also popular south of the border. For now, whispers of rumors of compact pickup arrivals from these brands and more continue to circulate, but Toyota’s entry into this hot segment is the first one since the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz to be officially announced, and we’re looking forward to learning more about how it aims to compete in this segment.
About the author
Cole Attisha
Staff Writer, Autoblog