GR Sport volume will be limited as TNZ aims to pin back ute demand.

INTENT to contain the impending GR Sport derivative of Hilux to just a small share of the type’s annual volume this year conceivably means this new halo variant will restrict to just a few hundred examples annually.

That potential count comes from basing off last year’s Hilux tally of 9787 units – a tally which was too high for Toyota’s tastes and will be pared back this year – but still means GR Sport will be less rare than the model it effectively bumps, the homegrown Hilux Mako.

In relating that the new model will land around June, for an as-yet-undisclosed price, the Palmerston North-based brand has chosen not to share its volume expectation as an actual unit count.

Instead, it has expressed intent for the derivative not to achieve more than five percent of total Hilux volume, which this year is set to be 30 percent of the total Toyota passenger and commercial volume.

Last year Hilux went above that, achieving 34.1 percent of the brand’s 28,727 car, ute and van sales.

That showing was on the back of a massive consumer support for utes, which also saw the Ford Ranger sit as the top-selling new vehicle for 2023. Hilux came second in the ute stakes. It’s still hot, achieving 849 registrations in February to again being the bridesmaid to Ranger, by just 10 units.

Hilux being so popular has made Toyota NZ nervous. The Palmrston North-based operation would be happy to again have its offer sitting as the country’s favourite ute – a status it lost to Ranger years ago – but it also wants to cap availability of high-emissions models, a club in which Hilux stands tall. A cleaner fleet average is required to stand by a pledge to meet the Government’s clean air aspiration for the new vehicle market.

TNZ’s media announcement for Hilux GR Sport quotes Steve Prangnell, general manager of new vehicles, as saying that while the new addition will make a fantastic halo model, and one that fits into the company’s strategy of offering the widest range of vehicles that meet the needs of Kiwi motorists, his make is also committed “to reducing our tailpipe carbon emissions by 46 percent by 2030 while still offering customers the vehicle of their choice.

“We plan to do this through a balanced portfolio of product which includes Hilux GR Sport, which will make up five percent of our total Hilux volume for 2023.”

Five percent of last year’s count equates to 489 units.

Spoken to subsequently by MotoringNZ.com, Prangnell when asked if he could give a volume expectation for the type in unit count, replied: “Five percent is not a fixed number …. My objective is CO2 reduction and sales leadership, not any absolute numbers (by) model.”

He would not offer comment on whether the GR Sport edition would be more expensive or cheaper than the Hilux Mako, which has held leadership status until now, but confirmed it will usurp the in-house special.

Mako based on the previous generation SR5 Cruiser, adding $21,000 premium to the donor’s recommended retail, making it a $79,990 buy-in before Clean Car fees. The Mako equipment does not work for SR5 in its updated wide track format, but TNZ kept enough of the pre-facelift model to fulfil orders, a job now done and dusted. Said Prangnell: “Mako (is) wrapped up; 200 built and sold.”

Intent to add GR Sport was first aired last year, but then after Christmas TNZ toned down on that, citjng the type as a potential acquisition. Obviously, that’s now been reconciled.

As a GR Sport, it doesn’t sit in the same hard-out category as the totally sports-themed GR models – GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR 86 and GR Supra – though Toyota claims its design and look has been inspired by the vehicle Gzoo Racing pitches into the annual Paris-Dakar rally, which is now held in Saudi Arabia.

However, Prangnell says there’s every chance Hilux will most likely outsell those derivatives here “as they are niche and Hilux is a volume model.”

TNZ has described Hilux GR Sport as been designed to “capture the imagination of customers whose active lifestyles go well beyond the everyday, giving them an ideal vehicle for adventurous journeys and sporting pursuits.”

Though it has styling enhancements that clearly separate it from the widetrack Hilux and other mainstream double cab editions, the GR Sport isn’t as visually outrageous as the Mako.

However, it has more bite – on this model, the power and torque from the Hilux’s 2.8-litre turbodiesel ramp up to 165kW, from 150kW, and from 500Nm to 550Nm.

Those outputs mean it has more than the 2.2-litre biturbo four-cylinder diesel in Ranger but less than Ford’s diesel 3.0-litre V6, which makes 184kW/600Nm. It’s also no foil for grunt to the Ranger Raptor, which pumps 292kW and 583Nm, but relies on petrol.

GR Sport has the 140mm wider track, taller ride height and brake changes – with disc rather than drum rear brakes and larger front discs – as the widetrack SR5 Cruiser and a bespoke suspension tune.

The rear disc brake upgrade brings the Hilux in line with the new-generation Ford Ranger and incoming Volkswagen Amarok, and the more affordable LDV T60, GWM Ute and SsangYong Musso.

It stands out for having a new-look nose which Toyota Japan says was designed in a wind-tunnel to deliver enough cooling to the uprated engine.

The all-terrain tyres, heavy-duty suspension, rear recovery points, and heavy-duty 'rock sliders' instead of side-steps are specific to the GR Sport.

The version gains paddle shifters on the steering wheel for drivers who want to manually select ratios in the revised six-speed automatic gearbox, which has been recalibrated to handle the extra power and sportier driving.

The interior dress-up spans vivid sports pedals and red seatbelts and GR branding on the steering wheel and headrests. The type has red brake callipers, and GR exterior badges.