Why Was The Toyota Stout Discontinued & Which Pickup Truck Replaced It?

Toyota currently trails the major brands like Ford, Chevrolet, RAM and GMC in the competitive American pickup segment, but the Japanese automaker still remains a popular player regardless. Its mid-size Tacoma truck, according to Statista, ranked among the top five in 2024, with over 192,000 units sold. Toyota's current exploits with pickups have a historical foundation that predates the Tacoma by decades, going back to the early models like the Stout.

The Stout was a Toyota light truck manufactured from 1954 through 2000. Initially dubbed the Toyopet RK, the RK moniker was changed to Stout in 1959, following a competition arranged by Toyota and employees from its sales channels.

In 1964, the Stout made landfall in North America, as Toyota's first standalone small pick-up truck. By then, its payload capacity had been upgraded from 2,500 lbs to 3,000 lbs. Unfortunately, the Stout's initial market performance was abysmal, with only 4 units sold in 1964. The situation improved in 1965, with over 900 units purchased. However, Toyota engineers quickly realized that significant changes had to be made to better meet the needs of the American mainstream truck market

The Toyota Stout was eventually put out of its misery in 1969 — a direct result of poor sales and market unsuitability. In its place, Toyota brought in the Hilux, which America then banned. The Hilux was a utilitarian light truck that quickly gained a reputation for being one of Toyota's most reliable trucks. In 1974, the Toyota Hilux was named pickup truck of the year by Pickup, Van & 4WD, a leading automobile publication at the time. It was the Hilux that eventually paved the way for Toyota's success in the light-truck market.

The Stout might have fallen flat upon its arrival in America, but it was better received in other markets, with a production run that eventually lasted 46 years and spanned three generations. The first generation model was a standard 2-door, 3-seater pickup built around a 1.5-liter engine that made just 49 hp. That power was fed to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission.

The second generation, introduced in 1960, featured a complete redesign that included a facelift and twin headlights. There were other variations like the Light Stout, a shorter wheelbase version with an independent coil-sprung front suspension that made it handle more like a car. The third generation model arrived in 1979 and remained in production until the model was discontinued altogether in 2000. 

It is interesting to note that the Stout even outlived its presence in its home market. It was discontinued for the Japanese market in 1989. However, it was a major Toyota export product and continued to be sold in countries like Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Notably, it also helped launch Toyota's operations in South Africa, with the Stout RK65 being the first Toyota to undergo complete knock-down assembly in the country. 

The Toyota Stout has been gone for a quarter of a century now. However, the rumor mill has been spinning about the possibility of a comeback. The stories gathered steam in 2023 during the South African State of the Motor Industry event. According to Carmag, Leon Theron, then Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, told people present to "watch this space in the next 3 years for the LCV segment with potentially a small bakkie from Toyota." In South Africa, bakkie is an informal term for a pickup. Also, the Argentinian website Autoweb reported that Toyota had trademarked the Stout name with Argentinian intellectual property officials towards the end of 2022. 

Toyota has been understandably coy about giving too much away about a possible Stout reemergence. However, in May 2025, the carmaker did reveal that plans were underway for a cheap Toyota rival to the Ford Maverick. Speaking with Motor Trend, Cooper Ericksen, the head honcho of planning and strategy for Toyota Motor North America, said, "decisions have been made. The question is when we can slot it in. It's not a matter of 'if' at this point."

The entry-level offering would slide in below the Toyota Tacoma, the truck that replaced the Hilux in 1995, and seek to tap into the segment currently occupied by vehicles like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Still, it is unclear if the new truck will bear the Stout's name. However, if that does happen, it will be a fitting return for one of the trucks that laid the stones for Toyota's success in the pickup segment.