Toyota Hilux 8th generation (GUN125)

Nakajima, who had developed only passenger cars, decided to make everything new for the eighth generation, from the platform to the engine and transmission. A farm owner he met in South America drove his Lexus LS to the farm gate, switched to his Hilux, and said it was a good car with little noise and vibration. Realizing that owners were adjusting their expectations because it was for unpaved roads, Nakajima chose to bring the ride comfort and quietness of a luxury car into the eighth generation.

On an inspection trip early in the eighth generation's development, an owner told him the seventh generation was less tough than the old Hilux. When cargo was tossed in, the wheel arches, which had been hard to dent on the sixth generation, dented easily. By the numbers the seventh generation was sturdier, but that area was not among the points evaluated in strength testing. Nakajima changed the evaluation criteria and added more points to strength testing.

The Hilux had ended domestic sales in Japan. Later, a dealer told Maeda that about 9,000 were still in use in Japan, yet there was no car to offer as a replacement, and Maeda began considering a Japanese launch while developing the eighth generation. He wanted a diesel because ranches and farms have diesel tanks, but Japan's emission rules are strict, so a new diesel engine and exhaust system were developed together with the Land Cruiser Prado.