New Toyota teaser - competitor to the Maverick?

[Triangle6887]

Toyota just released this teaser image of what many believe to be their Maverick competitor. Others online speculate it may be some kind of crossover or SUV. Curious what everyone here thinks? I feel like the proportions make it look more like a truck than an SUV. It feels like there's some distance between the tail light and the passenger area, which makes me think its a truck bed. Strange placement for a tail light for a truck though.

https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/01/new-toyota-compact-pickup-teased-ford-maverick-fighter/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2027-toyota-highlander-ev-teaser
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a70157106/new-mystery-vehicle-toyota-2026/

Sponsored

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Early social media speculation suggested a compact pickup to compete with the Ford Maverick, due to the flat rear glass shown in the teaser. however, closer inspection of the animation reveals:

Interior Clues: Large headrests and a high-mounted infotainment screen are visible through the rear glass, which strongly suggests an SUV cabin rather than a truck bed.

Roof Rails: The presence of integrated roof rails further supports the SUV theory.

 

[Cherokee]

AT’s what I was gonna say. I saw only a drawing of an SUV not a mini truck.
Click bait !

 

[dalola]

lol... how many years have we been hearing about this....? Toyota has never built a truck I've had any interest in, and I don't expect that trend to change anytime soon.

 

[Scott Asheville]

The real competitors to the Maverick are likely coming in summer 2027. One truth of the auto market is that nobody lets somebody else eat a juicy fat pie alone. And 150,000 Mavericks a year, with a market demand that lets you raise the price (aka fleece the sheep) by 33% in 5 years - that's a juicy fat pie.

• First will be the Maverick EV, which AutoForecast solutions says is rolling of the KY line in July 2027. (reported by Autoline). It looks like Ford will offer two completely diffferent Mavericks - one electric, one ICE/hybrid - that have absolutely nothing in common but the nameplate.
• Second will likely be the updated Santa Cruz - Hyundai is too smart to repeat the same mistake twice, and will likely make it look more conventional. Spy photos of the 2027 Tucson (stablemate of the Santa Cruz) show a more blocky body. Spy reports (Korean Car Blog and others) are saying hybrid, ICE, and electric powertrains.
• Third will be the Toyota "whatever", which they've said (Toyota exec confirmed it last month) is coming "soon".
• Then there are the unknowns. GM, etc. Anybody who thinks GM is going to sit back and watch Ford sell 150,000 Mavericks a year doesn't know GM very well.
• And of course Slate, if they don't go bottoms up before they deliver a single truck (tbd). Dunno if you can really call Slate a competitor - but it might bleed off some of the Maverick XL buyers who don't need or want four doors.

OTOH, the whole industry stood by and watched Jeep sell Wranglers without competition for decades. Until Ford woke up and offered the Bronco. So maybe Maverick will be a solo act for the next 50 years. Unlikely, but could be.

 

[James K]

Toyota just released this teaser image of what many believe to be their Maverick competitor. Others online speculate it may be some kind of crossover or SUV. Curious what everyone here thinks? I feel like the proportions make it look more like a truck than an SUV. It feels like there's some distance between the tail light and the passenger area, which makes me think its a truck bed. Strange placement for a tail light for a truck though.

https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/01/new-toyota-compact-pickup-teased-ford-maverick-fighter/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2027-toyota-highlander-ev-teaser
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a70157106/new-mystery-vehicle-toyota-2026/

Good points for both SUV and PU. My guess goes to PU only because Toyota has a fair number of SUVs already.

 

[Pierre777]

It probably their EPU ( Electric Pick Up ) which they showed off at one of the Auto Shows. This is most likely the production version of the shown concept.

 

[Fcnrwy]

Jerry

 

[Cancunbadlands]

The real competitors to the Maverick are likely coming in summer 2027. One truth of the auto market is that nobody lets somebody else eat a juicy fat pie alone. And 150,000 Mavericks a year, with a market demand that lets you raise the price (aka fleece the sheep) by 33% in 5 years - that's a juicy fat pie.

• First will be the Maverick EV, which AutoForecast solutions says is rolling of the KY line in July 2027. (reported by Autoline). It looks like Ford will offer two completely diffferent Mavericks - one electric, one ICE/hybrid - that have absolutely nothing in common but the nameplate.
• Second will likely be the updated Santa Cruz - Hyundai is too smart to repeat the same mistake twice, and will likely make it look more conventional. Spy photos of the 2027 Tucson (stablemate of the Santa Cruz) show a more blocky body. Spy reports (Korean Car Blog and others) are saying hybrid, ICE, and electric powertrains.
• Third will be the Toyota "whatever", which they've said (Toyota exec confirmed it last month) is coming "soon".
• Then there are the unknowns. GM, etc. Anybody who thinks GM is going to sit back and watch Ford sell 150,000 Mavericks a year doesn't know GM very well.
• And of course Slate, if they don't go bottoms up before they deliver a single truck (tbd). Dunno if you can really call Slate a competitor - but it might bleed off some of the Maverick XL buyers who don't need or want four doors.

OTOH, the whole industry stood by and watched Jeep sell Wranglers without competition for decades. Until Ford woke up and offered the Bronco. So maybe Maverick will be a solo act for the next 50 years. Unlikely, but could be.

Chevrolet has the Montana
And VW has the Saveiro for a compact truck south the border

 

[notfast]

Second will likely be the updated Santa Cruz - Hyundai is too smart to repeat the same mistake twice, and will likely make it look more conventional. Spy photos of the 2027 Tucson (stablemate of the Santa Cruz) show a more blocky body. Spy reports (Korean Car Blog and others) are saying hybrid, ICE, and electric powertrains.

I think the Santa Cruz sways too much toward the Subaru Baja, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, or GMC Envoy XUV and not enough toward a conventional pickup to appeal to anyone except those that like quirky vehicles.

Hyundai made some silent changes for the Santa Cruz for 2026, including replacing the dual-clutch automatic with a conventional 8-speed planetary automatic for the turbocharged models.

I passed on the Santa Cruz because the 2.5T barely gets better fuel economy and cruising range than my Nissan Frontier, which was less expensive and a body-on-frame pickup truck with a 2-speed transfer case. The 2.5 NA gets about the same fuel economy and range as an EB Maverick but with the power of the Maverick hybrid.

Not having any toppers available for the Santa Cruz was the nail in the coffin.

 

[Finnster]

It probably their EPU ( Electric Pick Up ) which they showed off at one of the Auto Shows. This is most likely the production version of the shown concept.

Agreed!

 

[grandpopa'sMPGs]

150,000+ units by 1 manufacturer is not enough for another manufacturer to step in and compere. For the first to 4 years Toyota will have growing pains. ford is now in a position to vastly improve its maverick to keep ahead of Toyota and Toyota doesn't take chances.

 

[wax87]

Toyota just released this teaser image of what many believe to be their Maverick competitor. Others online speculate it may be some kind of crossover or SUV. Curious what everyone here thinks? I feel like the proportions make it look more like a truck than an SUV. It feels like there's some distance between the tail light and the passenger area, which makes me think its a truck bed. Strange placement for a tail light for a truck though.

https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2026/01/new-toyota-compact-pickup-teased-ford-maverick-fighter/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2027-toyota-highlander-ev-teaser
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a70157106/new-mystery-vehicle-toyota-2026/

Toyota has learned something from Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, stay in the Headlines with a big bag of nothing.

Sponsored