Although few people might remember its stint on the North American markets, the Toyota Stout (produced between 1954 and 2000) was actually the original compact pickup truck from the Japanese automaker.
In modern times, just about everyone associates Toyota pickup trucks with the international Hilux or America’s best-selling Tacoma plus the full-size Tundra. But before them, there was a stout model that fulfilled light-duty commercial needs – including in the United States. As the years passed, the nameplate was almost forgotten, and some people might think that was the end of the story.
Well, the arrival of the car-like, ritzy Hyundai Santa Cruz and the introduction of the Mexico-built unibody Ford Maverick compact pickup trucks reshuffled all expectations and probably took many rivaling automakers by surprise with their success. But frankly, it was only logical for the rugged, affordable, and electrified sibling to the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs to become so popular – mostly because it was tough, cheap (at least, initially), and electrified as a standard perk!
Now, of course, automakers are scrambling for a response, and it should be entirely unsurprising that the first one targeted by the rumor mill is none other than Toyota. As such, according to the whispers, the Japanese automaker is not only hard at work trying to produce a fitting successor for the ultra-popular mid-size Tacoma but also apparently considering a compact truck for the segment immediately below it. And, naturally, the comeback of the Stout nameplate would be a given – as it could harness the legacy of its illustrious, long-lived predecessor and still look toward the electrified future.
Logic dictates – according to the latest behind-the-rumor-mill video from the TopElectricSUV channel on YouTube, which feels ready to give us the full scoop on the possible Toyota compact truck – that if the Stout indeed comes back, it will aim directly for the Ford Maverick throne rather than fight for second position with the Santa Cruz. As such, the base model would need to start from around $22k, and the electrified option could snag a $25k asking price.
Of course, do take all these ideas with the proverbial pinch of salt – as prices currently tend to jump all over the place and never seem to bounce back to ‘normal’ levels. Plus, these are all speculations from the news outlet, and we have no idea if the success of the pocket-sized Maverick really is enough of a powerful catalyst for Toyota to reintroduce the compact pickup truck in the Americas.
For now, the most enticing dreams are based on a recent (autumn of 2022) registration of the Stout name by Toyota, complete with ideas of a dual-cab-only layout – just like Maverick and Santa Cruz – plus thoughts of the latest technologies arriving on board. Those unofficial prayers include the latest Toyota infotainment and HMI – the Toyota Connected Technologies team’s Toyota Audio Multimedia just debuted on the 2023 Mirai FCEV – plus the potential use of the unibody TNGA platform in ‘C’ (think Corolla Cross) or ‘K’ (think RAV4 but also Crown) configuration.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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