The badge is the same you see on Toyota and Lexus cars, but the tech is altogether different - and might potentially be less impactful.

HYBRID is coming to Hilux but the system en route for the diesel ute takes a very different design path to the petrol engine-aligned set up Kiwis flock to.

While there has been talk that Hilux might one day take something akin to the popular Synergy Drive used by many Toyota and Lexus passenger cars here, it is starting off with something much less involved and milder in its impact: A 48-volt system.

An intent to steal a march on competitors relies on a set-up comprising an additional 48-volt battery, electric motor-generator, and other components.

The Palmerston North office says this will lend the Hilux improved fuel economy, but has not gone into detail. However, it insists this is enough to label the vehicle a hybrid - a position that is not held by its counterpart in Australia. Toyota across the Tasman also announced the same powertrain today, and media there say there was strenuous avoidance of using the ‘h’ word, on grounds fuel savings will only be minor.

On strength of what has been shared, the incoming system will categorise as the mildest kind of hybrid; akin to those already in a variety of cars - including the recently-launched Suzuki Vitara, Subaru Crosstrek and Mercedes GLC300 - but eschewed until now by Toyota.

Forty-eight volt systems are useful in lowering CO2 and will improve thrift, but are the least electrified version of hybrid powertrains and in a lower category than the Synergy Drive system (above) Japan’s No.1 puts all its weight behind.

Debuted by the Prius of 1997 and now represented in more than 15 million vehicles worldwide, Synergy Drive is the world’s dominant hybrid tech and is maintained by Toyota as being a highly effective choice for those not wanting to go to full electric.

Its effectiveness on fuel consumption and emissions is highly regarded and appreciated by Kiwis - the dominant Lexus and Toyota models all have this tech.

Synergy Drive delivers two separate powerplants – a battery-powered electric motor and petrol combustion engine – which can work together or operate individually, to point of allowing the vehicle to operate at low speed on electric impetus alone.

The latter is generally not a quality availed with 48v. Designs vary from model to model, but the basic concept and construction are the same. A small electric motor, which can be called an integrated starter generator (ISG), is connected to the engine, often sandwiched between it and the transmission, and works in tandem with the internal combustion unit to provide extra power for acceleration.

A 48v system also comes with an inherent fuel-efficiency benefit, in that it shares the engine’s load in controlled scenarios, helping it save fuel, but not to the same extent as the full-out Synergy Drive approach.

The most popular Toyota hybrid, the RAV4, is considered to be markedly more efficient than its fully petrol equivalent, with real-world fuel economy savings of 50 percent.

The plus point of 48v is that it will work with an orthodox transmission - with Hilux, that’s a six-speed auto - whereas Synergy Drive demands marriage to a ‘gearless’ planetary transmission, which still works okay for light off-seal driving but might not suit a dedicated off-road vehicle in extreme driving. It also demands a much smaller battery, which would be a packaging salvation for any vehicle designed primarily for pure combustion engines. Hilux would likely fall into that category, as it is a much older design than many competing utes.

Nonetheless, Toyota seems to be making progress beyond 48v in its tray decks. The Tacoma, a sister model to the Hilux but assigned strictly to North America, is next year taking a hybrid drivetrain that seems highly ‘synergised’. But it marries to a 2.4-litre petrol four-cylinder. TNZ said today it has no plan to introduce this one.

In today’s announcement, and subsequent communication, the national distributor has made clear it will not share technical detail until much closer to availability.

So power and torque outputs, potential economy gains, emissions improvements and if the latter will be low enough to make it the first fossil-fuelled ute to avoid a Clean Car impost remain known.

Likewise, it has not given indication on how many variants of the country’s second-most popular ute, behind the Ford Ranger, will get the system and whether it will carry a premium. The source country is almost certainly Thailand, but it will not confirm this.

Two interesting kernels are assurance the set-up will not have detrimental impact on the model’s 3500 kilogram towing maximum and that it works with the type’s part-time four-wheel-drive system. However, it might also ally just with the six-speed automatic.

TNZ said today that in addition to lending economy improvement, the Hilux system will also enable a stop/start system, improved off-road drivability and reduced noise, vibration, and harshness.

It said suitability for towing is important as only two percent of Hilux customers do not option a tow bar “so towing capacity will be an important consideration for hybrid Hilux buyers.”

Ultimately, Toyota’s advantage seems set to be trumped by its rivals. Ford Ranger is also cited to have a plug-in hybrid drive system, potentially by 2025, and Volkswagen - which uses Ford’s truck as the basis of its Amarok - has previously suggested it can engineer for full electric, a point Ranger engineers have contested.

The new Mitsubishi Triton that unveils in late July is also anticipated to deliver with a PHEV variant, but not straight away. There’s speculation that version will be revealed late next year.

Presently, the only ute sold here with electric involvement is one that goes the whole hog, to full battery drive. But that LDV eT60 is limited by range, a hefty price tag, has a modest towing and load-carrying capacity and is rear-drive.

Today TNZ emphasised that the hybrid Hilux would be highly useful to its decarbonisation strategy, which asks for a minimal 46 percent decrease in tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions from its portfolio of cars, utes and vans by 2030.

“While the company is on track to meet this science-based target, the introduction of an electrified diesel hybrid Hilux into the range will significantly move the dial to reaching the target and meeting the needs of Hilux drivers across the country,” a statement said.

TNZ chief executive Neeraj Lala, said the type will “have a significant impact in the New Zealand ute scene, the largest segment of the local car and light commercial market.

“Toyota is transitioning from a traditional automaker to a mobility company focused on sustainable technologies and transport. The hybrid Hilux will be an important addition to our range and will enable many tradies, farmers, and businesses to reduce their carbon footprints.

“Our ambition is to offer a fully electric Hilux, however, until that is available, hybrid remains the best technology and will only drive our overall emissions down further.”

TNZ has also said it is applying circularity to its value chain and is committed to repurposing or recycling end of life parts from its vehicles, including batteries.