Until now, the Hilux Champ had been known as the Rangga, though the Tamaraw name could still to be used in the Philippines. Image: carscoops.com via Top Gear Philippines.
Shown as the Rangga concept at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in August, Toyota’s highly awaited “junior Hilux” will reportedly finally become a production reality before the end of 2023, albeit only in a single market.
Described as a cost-effective business solution shown with a variety of bodystyles in Indonesia ranging from a dropside bakkie to an ambulance, ice-cream van and even a light-duty fire truck, the Rangga’s likelihood of reaching producing was not disclosed outright as a result of Toyota branding nothing but a concept at the time.
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Rumoured to be one of two small bakkies in development or under study for introduction, the other being a unibody due for unveiling in 2025 or 2026 based on the Corolla Cross, the Rangga has reportedly been given the go-ahead in spite of Toyota not making any official announcement.
According to Top Gear Philippines, the Rangga will enter production in the latter stage of 2023 in Indonesia before being assembled at the Santa Rosa plant located some 60 km from the capital, Manila, from imported semi-knockdown kits.
For both markets, the Rangga name is anticipated to be eschewed in favour of Tamaraw, a moniker last used in 2007 on a model originally sold under the Venture and then later Condor nameplates in South Africa.
Long rumoured to revive the Stout name uncovered in a trademark submission last year, the Top Gear report substantiated its claims about the Rangga by quoting Toyota Indonesia’s Marketing Director, Anton Suwandy, as telling website, otodriver.com, “our target plan is at the end of this year or early next year at the latest. We are not selling this model only as a pickup, but there will also be cab-chassis models”.
Besides the bakkie models, Suwandy also hinted at the introduction of an angkot bodystyle, translated loosely as referencing a light duty van in the same mould as the Toyota Stallion that transitioned from a bakkie spun-off of the Venture, to a panel van in Condor guise.
Itself derived from the IMV O Concept unveiled in Thailand last year, the Rangga is expected to drive motivation from both petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains, although as mentioned, no exact details are known as Toyota declined to provide any at both unveilings.
What continues to be known though is that Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has been open in expressing interest in a smaller Hilux it says will, however, not be a half-ton similar the outgoing Nissan NP200.
“We believe it will take the market by storm and are still doing a lot of development around it,” TSAM Senior Vice-President for Sales and Marketing, Leon Theron, was quoted by IOL Motoring as saying in May.
For now, no further details are known, but expect more to become apparent within the following weeks and months.
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