--- title: "Toyota Still Looking Into Electrified Small Pickup, North American CEO Says" description: "There's currently \"no plan\" for a Ford Maverick competitor, but Toyota seems to like the sound of a hybrid or all-electric one." date: "2024-05-23" modified: "2024-05-23" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota-still-looking-into-electrified-small-pickup-north-american-ceo-says" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "pickup" - "tacoma" - "Toyota" --- # Toyota Still Looking Into Electrified Small Pickup, North American CEO Says ![]() *Toyota Tacoma Hybrid. Toyota* Ever since the launch of the [Ford Maverick](), customers have wondered when another major player in trucks might answer with a compact pickup of its own. Toyota's been mostly silent on the matter, simply saying that it understands that the market is there, and it's looking into it. However, Ted Ogawa, CEO of Toyota North America, just shed a bit more light on a potential entry into the space. But don't get your hopes up just yet, as it seems [Toyota]() isn't working on a tiny truck of its own at the moment. If it does, someday, you can bet it'll be electrified. During an interview with *[Automotive News]()*, Ogawa was asked what Toyota thought about a Maverick competitor. "Good question, but we have no plan for that. Still, we are studying in that area, including the electrification movement." According to Ogawa, full-size truck customers aren't much interested in electric trucks. (Maybe not legacy truck owners, but the [Rivian R1T]() seems rather popular.) However, there's more interest in smaller electric pickups, and that's where Toyota's head is at right now. "In midsize or smaller size, there is more electrification opportunity compared to the full-size area. So for us, it's one of the opportunities to think about—the smaller size than Tacoma pickup in the future," Ogawa said. ![]() That might not be what customers want to hear. "We hear all the time, several times a week, stories of people who had older Toyota trucks, before those trucks even had a name, and they long for another small Toyota truck," [said Steve Gates](), chairman of the Toyota national dealer council in September 2023. "I think the volume opportunity is huge, without affecting Tacoma and Tundra sales." While Toyota's argument is understandable—acknowledging that electric trucks are the future and wanting to hold its investment until then—the company clearly has the means to do both. There's room for a compact Toyota pickup truck right now, regardless of powertrain. Especially since, by Ogawa's own admission, the cost of electrification is even more challenging in a compact, low-MSRP pickup. Given that competitors like Stellantis only seem to be ready to answer Ford now with the [Ram Rampage](), and vehicles obviously take a long time to develop, it seems it'll still be a while before we see Toyota's pint-sized contender. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()