Next year, selected markets in Southeast Asia will launch a new hybrid variant of the 2024 Toyota Hilux. Unlike the electrified Hilux that was announced for Europe earlier this month, our region’s Hilux hybrid will have two more forward ratios, courtesy of a new 8-speed automatic transmission.

We had the opportunity (albeit a very brief one) to drive the new 2024 Toyota Hilux hybrid in Thailand recently. The car is still a prototype and the final specifications have yet to be revealed. Despite the HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) decals on the car, this is not a full-hybrid-type HEV, but a 48V MHEV (mild-hybrid).

The engine is the same 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV turbodiesel that we are familiar with. There are just two changes in the engine bay.

First, the regular car’s alternator has been replaced with a new belt-driven motor-generator hooked up to a 48V lithium battery (it weighs 7.6 kg) installed beneath the rear seat. Like all electrified cars bar a Tesla Cybertruck, the regular 12V battery is still retained.

Second, the standard Hilux’s hydraulic power steering rack has been replaced with an electrically assisted unit (EPS). More on that later.

From what’s visible to us, Southeast Asia’s Hilux hybrid will also get a new interior. The cabin has been refreshed with a new steering wheel and gear knob, both taken from a Toyota Land Cruiser 250.

The mechanical handbrake has also been removed, with the gaping hole masked in black tape, for the yet-to-be-fitted electric parking brake (EPB) button. The rest of the car seems remarkably well put together for a prototype.

The terrain drive mode selector knob seen on the European market model is missing on our Thailand-specs test car though.

Since this is a mild-hybrid, the belt-driven motor-generator doesn’t drive the wheels directly, nor can it move the car from standstill. Instead, it engages when the driver lifts off the accelerator, working as a generator to recover energy that would otherwise be lost during coasting or braking. Note that unlike a full-hybrid, there is no regenerative braking here, only energy recuperation.

During acceleration, the generator reverses its function to work as a motor to deliver up to 16 PS and 65 Nm of boost.

Crucially, Toyota says the belt-driven motor-generator is developed with harsh operating conditions in mind - two-arm belt tensioner and stronger belt material ensures that the mild-hybrid Hilux is very bit a Hilux.

Output for Southeast Asian market models have not been released but the Euro 6d emission standard European market model makes 204 PS (DIN hp) and 500 Nm – identical to our Malaysia market regular Hilux 2.8L.

We had a short one-lap drive on a makeshift driving course in the Hilux hybrid. As expected, the motor assistance is very mild but the benefit of two more forward ratios is evident. The new 8-speed automatic gearbox is slick shifting. Having more gear ratios is can improve fuel economy, at least in theory, but having one too many ratios can also lead the transmission hunting back-forth between gears in urban driving.

We are happy to note that even in this prototype form, the transmission holds its gear very well through the slalom course, downshifting on cue when you slow down for a curve. The only driving condition we couldn’t assess was downhill driving, as the makeshift course was built on a parking lot.

When idling, the electrically assisted power steering feels noticeably calmer with less vibrations, though this is also related to the hybrid's lower idling speed, from 720 rpm to 600 rpm.

When driving over a simulated rutted road surface, there’s noticeably less kickback felt through the steering wheel when the tyres roll over uneven bumps.

Toyota says the mild-hybrid Hilux cuts fuel consumption by between 5 to 10 percent, and has a range of over 1,200 km. It also retains the standard car’s 3,500 kg towing capacity.

In Europe, the Hilux can run on 100% biofuel (HVO100), but we clarified with the development that the Thai-spec Hilux is developed to run on Thai-grade diesel (meaning B7 biodiesel) and not HVO100.

The Hilux mild-hybrid is part of a three-car line-up of Hilux, representing three ‘multi-pathway’ options for Southeast Asia to reduce carbon emissions. The other two cars are a Hilux BEV (battery electric vehicle) and a Hilux FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle). Of the trio, only the Hilux mild-hybrid will go on sale in this region next year. The BEV and FCEV are still early-stage prototypes.

UMW Toyota Motor has not said anything about launching the Hilux mild-hybrid here but we believe that Malaysia will skip this model due to the nature of our tax structure.

As it is, pick-up trucks are already exempted from excise tax, so there’s no more room for tax incentives for such cars. Subsidized diesel remain too cheap to offset the higher cost of the additional hybrid hardware. There are talks of phasing out fuel subsidies, but this has yet to materialize.