IMV-0: Toyota reworks Hilux, Fortuner chassis into modular platform

We won't be seeing the last of Toyota's ladder-frame platform that underpinned the likes of the Hilux, Fortuner, and Innova.

Alongside the Hilux Revo BEV Concept, Toyota president Akio Toyoda revealed the IMV-0 Concept during Toyota Motors Thailand Co. Ltd. (TMT)'s 60th anniversary. Essentially, the IMV-0 Concept is a pickup truck developed with an emphasis on versatility, giving a glimpse of what we could expect from the next-generation Hilux.

The IMV-0, true to its concept car guise, has quite a quirky and unconventional design for a pickup truck. While it has a boxy shape, the things worth noting on the exterior are the anchor points in various areas of the pickup truck to indicate versatility.

Among the possibilities previewed in the IMV-0 Concept range from a dropside pickup truck to a full overland vehicle, showing the improved level of modularity of the platform. While cab and chassis models already exist to fit this regard, Toyota wants the IMV-0 to have a quick and easy installation of modules for different applications, much like a Lego piece. The manufacturer says this was done to adapt to the needs and lifestyles of customers while also supporting economic growth.

In addition, the use of 0 in the concept's name is also worth noting, as Toyota currently uses “zero” to refer to its zero-emission vehicles. This opens up the possibility that the IMV-0 may also become a BEV or a hybrid model once it reaches production. Last year, we reported that Toyota was supposedly working on a hybrid Fortuner. Perhaps the IMV 0 serves as a preview of things to come.

Toyoda, who led the development of the original IMV platform in 2002, did not disclose more details about the concept, but confirmed that its official launch is only “over a year away”.