CarGene

Toyota · Hilux

Toyota Hilux 5th generation

Years
1988–1997
Drivetrain
4WD
Toyota Hilux 5th generation

Image: Mr.choppers / CC BY-SA 3.0

Story

With the basic concept of strong, tough and comfortable, it improved its RV functions and comfort features. Through a tie-up with Volkswagen, it was also sold in Europe as the "VW Taro".

Stories

01

A car that knows the American heart

As development lead, Asai had decided on two things: that it should be a car people around the world see as knowing the heart (the feelings and beliefs) of their country, and that it should be recognizable as a Hilux at a glance, even from a distance. When the 4WD Hilux was sold in America, people were delighted that it was a car that knew the American heart. Developed with these two principles, the fifth generation was named Truck of the Year in the US.
Shigeo Asai

Chassis

Length 4,435-4,690 mmWB 2,605-2,840 mm1,750-1,790 mmHeightWidth 1,690 mm
Curb weight
1,390-1,580kg

Production plants

  2. Tahara Plant

    Tahara, Aichi

  3. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Hanover Plant

    Hanover, Lower Saxony

    1989–1996

US import eligibility

Earliest cars
Eligible since September 201325 years after sales began in September 1988
Last cars
Eligible since 202225 years after sales ended in 1997 (month not recorded)

Eligibility depends on each car's month of manufacture on its build plate, not on the sale dates shown here (NHTSA).

Japanese cars by US import year →

Engineers

Shigeo Asai

Shigeo Asai

Development lead for the fifth-generation Hilux. He was involved from the chassis frame design of the first-generation Hilux onward, and on the second generation he was responsible for the design of the entire suspension.