The incumbent eighth-gen Toyota Hilux really isn’t young anymore, having been around since 2016 and having gone through quite a few facelifts. Mercifully, we know a new ninth gen is coming (which could take on the Travo name in some markets), and although a seismic shift is not expected in terms of exterior styling, the interior could fare better. Drive has posted some drawings leaked by @cars_secrets on Instagram. They appear to have come from a Toyota parts manual, and show a new dashboard with several ‘levels’ – very Prado-like, including the chunky gear lever and centre air-con vents. No long ‘connected’ screens, but there’s a large free-standing touch-screen – Drive says this and the instrument panel each measure 12.3 inches, and the software should be the same as the Prado’s rather than the 2026 RAV4’s all-new Arene system. What else can we see? Two gloveboxes and what appears to be a phone tray under the centre air-con vents. The sloped thing in front of the gear lever could be a storage box; Toyota would really surprise us if it turns out to be another screen (maybe for air-con controls). If it is just a storage box, then climate controls should be the row immediately under the centre air-con vents, as per the Prado. An exterior drawing has also been leaked – it’s quite similar to Theophilus Chin’s crystal ball (squinting headlamps with DRL eyebrows and a slim bridging bar, triangular fog lamp housings), but what we’ve never seen before is a Ford Ranger-style rear bumper step, which lets you hoist yourself up to reach for something in the bed. The tail lamps protrude rather sharply into the sides of the bed. What’s expected to carry over are the platform, the 2GD-FTV 2.4 litre and 1GD-FTV 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engines, and the 48-volt mild-hybrid system. According to Drive, there could be a new electric power steering that makes Level 2 ADAS possible. The ninth-gen Toyota Hilux is expected to be unveiled this year before going on sale in various markets around the world next year. The golden question is, will this generation see the first Hilux EV? Ninth-gen 2026 Toyota Hilux Travo: leaked drawings, speculative renderings and Thai spyshots
