Toyota And Subaru's Compact Truck Is A Money-Printing Formula, And It Will Likely Arrive In The US

Rumors about EV, but Hybrid is more likely 

Here's where things don't add up. The revived Toyota Stout and its potential twin in the form of the Subaru Brat are rumored to be EV models, but I have reason to believe it won't be. Back in December 2021, when Toyota introduced a wide variety of concept cars, we thought Toyota would fully commit to all-electric vehicles.  

Fortunately, this was not the case, and so far, most of these concept models have transitioned nicely into hybrid or ICE-powered production models. Moreover, Toyota's benchmarking of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – both of which are not EVs (Maverick can be had as a hybrid) - suggests the Japanese pickup truck will feature a familiar hybrid or internal combustion powertrain. Possibly both. 

Toyota continues to use the 2.5-liter Dynamic Force engine in a wide variety of models – nowadays, almost exclusively in hybrid mode – so I expect this to make it into the Stout/ Brat trucks. Toyota has developed two new engines that will replace most of the company's existing powerplants, but I don't think either of them will be featured in this new light pickup truck. 

The 1.5-liter engine is just too small, and the Stout/ Brat will not be competitive enough. The 2.0-liter turbo-four model could be featured in a range-topping variant, like a GR Stout, for example.  

Both Japanese trucks carry a long legacy. The Toyota Stout was in production between 1954 and 1989, but some export markets continued getting the small pickup truck until 2000. The Subaru Brat is a slightly younger model, being produced between 1978 and 1994, with production for the US ending in 1989. 

The Subaru model was more of a Ute than a fully-fledged pickup truck, as it was based on the Subaru Leone station wagon, while earlier Toyota Stout models shared a platform with the Toyota Dyna cab-over light truck, which was never sold in the US.