2022 Toyota Lite Ace pickup priced at PHP 570k, panel van 655k

Toyota Lite Ace to officially return July 15

There are only a few days left before Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) brings back a classic nameplate as its latest light commercial vehicle (LCV). On July 15, TMP will be revealing the all-new Toyota Lite Ace that will go face-to-face with the likes of the Suzuki Carry in the A-segment Commercial Vehicle (A-CV) class.

Last month, a tipster spotted the new model being tested on Philippine roads a month ago. And now, we have the official specifications and features of the upcoming LCV thanks to a very good source.

For starters, the all-new Toyota Lite Ace will come in both pickup and panel van form. Based on the information sent to us, Toyota dealerships have actually already started releasing wholesale units of the Lite Ace as early as July 1, with retail sales units to be released once TMP has officially launched the LCV after July 15.

The Philippine-spec Lite Ace will be specced closer to the Malaysian version of the Daihatsu Gran Max that was recently updated. It will be powered by the 1.5-liter 2NR-VE four-cylinder engine with Dual VVT-i. It's the same engine as that of the Avanza, Veloz, Vios and Yaris. While we didn't see the exact power figures, it's likely to have the same detuned version with 97 PS at 6000 rpm and 134 Nm of torque at 4400 RPM.

Both the pickup and panel van configuration of the Lite Ace will only be available with a 5-speed manual transmission, but like the Malaysia-spec Gran Max, the all-new Lite Ace gets electric power steering for convenience. In addition, the front suspension of both variants is the MacPherson type, but the Lite Ace's panel van variant gets a 5-link coil spring rear suspension instead of leaf springs in the pickup variant.

In terms of creature comforts though, the spec sheet only reveals the Lite Ace to have a 2-din head unit instead of a 7-inch touchscreen system, but it does have Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

For its safety features, the 2022 Lite Ace comes with airbags for both driver and passenger as standard. But solely for the panel van configuration, the Lite Ace has vehicle stability control (VSC). Meanwhile, the pickup variant is the only one that has anti-lock brakes.

Now for the most important bit – the pricing. The introductory price of the 2022 Toyota Lite Ace starts at PHP 570,000 for the pickup variant, while the panel van is priced at PHP 655,000. For now, these are the two variants that TMP will offer for the all-new Lite Ace, but we have confirmed there are more variants coming soon.

We'll keep everyone posted once TMP reveals more details of the all-new Toyota Lite Ace come July 15.