Is Toyota Planning Its Own Cheap Ford Maverick Rival?
Sometimes, there are automotive product ideas that you think would be no-brainers. Toyota doing a small, fuel-efficient, unibody pickup often seems like one of those. For a few years now, car buyers and Toyota dealers themselves have been wondering when and if the company was going to release a smaller, more affordable pickup truck to slot into its lineup below the Tundra and Tacoma.
To see how this could work, look no further than the Ford Maverick, which has helped create up a whole new market of pickup buyers in America, catering to buyers who want the utility of a small truck but not higher costs, larger size and worse fuel economy of a body-on-frame truck.
With its car-based, unibody platform and available hybrid power, the Ford Maverick one of the brand's most popular trucks, and that's leading many to think it's simply a matter of time before Toyota jumps into the game. Though there's been no official announcement or confirmation of such a vehicle, a recent statement from a Toyota executive has sent the rumor mill into a frenzy over the possibility of Toyota bringing its own Maverick competitor to market.
What has Toyota said so far?
It's not just one, but two different execs who have gone on record about the possibility of a new small Toyota truck coming to market. Per a Bloomberg story from May 2025, when being asked about a new truck joining the lineup, Toyota chief operating officer Mark Templin said, "We're looking at it." Meanwhile, Cooper Ericksen, a senior vice president of planning, said, "We could really do well in that segment, so we're trying to do it."
Before the Toyota fans get too excited, it should be noted that it's not uncommon for auto company executives to talk about potential products like this in broad terms, and by no means were these statements a guarantee of a new model. But Ericksen's quote in particular does suggest the "Toyota Maverick" idea is a bit closer to being a concrete plan than just a vague consideration.
When talking about recently introduced, inexpensive Toyota trucks, the $13,000 Toyota Hilux Champ comes to mind. The Champ is on sale right now in other markets around the world, to the great envy of North American Toyota truck fans. But, given our safety and emission regulations, Toyota's new truck for this market would surely be an entirely different type of vehicle.
Just as the Ford Maverick is based on the Escape platform, a potential small Toyota truck in America would almost certainly be based on the RAV4's TNGA-K platform. In other words, it'd be a crossover SUV but with an open bed.
What would a new Toyota small truck look like?
Toyota debuted the new 2026 RAV4 with a number of updates, the most notable of which is the move to a standard hybrid powertrain across the lineup. Just as the Maverick's available hybrid powertrain has helped drive its popularity, a potential TNGA-K pickup would likely have standard hybrid power across the board. Just like the Maverick and RAV4, it would probably be offered with the choice of either FWD or AWD drivetrains.
Likewise, we could also see Toyota mimicking Ford's strategy with the Maverick, offering not just basic trims for fleet use and value-conscious buyers, but also specialty versions for enthusiasts. Picture a rugged TRD Off-Road or Woodland-branded version to match the Maverick Tremor, or perhaps even a GR-badged performance variant to answer the new Maverick Lobo.
Looking at the bigger picture, the Maverick has already proven that there's a substantial market for small, fuel-efficient pickups in America. The idea of Toyota bringing its own hybrid expertise and high brand value to the small pickup segment seems like a safe bet for success.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. At the moment, a new Maverick-fighting small pickup from Toyota is still just a rumor and a wish, albeit one that the company looks to be taking pretty seriously.