Toyota unveiled a new small pickup truck at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday morning. It is modular, comes partially disassembled and is designed with rural African areas in mind.
While specific details about the latest entry in the IMV series are not yet known, the nameplate should be no stranger to small truck fans. Toyota launched the IMV 0 Concept as a 60th anniversary event in Thailand in late 2022, eventually giving rise to the Hilux Champ on sale today. The Spartan truck was specifically developed with local engineers with the truck-loving Thai market in mind, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota fans around the world from being envious. Not only is the truck gloriously simple in its approach and features, but it also launched with a starting price equivalent to around $10,000. Toyota appears to be taking a similar engineering approach with the IMV Origin, but it could be even cooler.
Toyota hasn’t shared its exact sales plans for the IMV Origin, but selling the partially knocked down units comes with some unique requirements. The automaker has developed the vehicle with on-site assembly in mind, which Toyota says can be done with basic tools. The automaker hopes this will lead to job creation in the region as workshops for final assembly appear. This will also allow owners some level of customization, as the automaker stated that owners will co-create the machine. Toyota calls this “deliberate incompleteness” and it sounds like something out of the first Lotus manual.
Aaron Brown
“We just built the foundation,” said President and CEO Koji Sato. “From there, each customer completes the vehicle to meet their needs. As an automaker, not finishing this vehicle was frustrating. However, not finishing it is what makes it a car ‘for you,’ because people have different needs in their daily lives and at work.”
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