A new rumour straight out of Japan suggests that the next-generation of the Toyota HiAce may be penned in for a 2023 reveal. Currently, the H200 and H300 generations are sold alongside one another both in the Japanese and our local market.
As reported by Best Car Web, it’s understood that a variation of the H300 could slot in as the entry-level commercial vehicle once its current lifecycle draws closer to an end.
Looking at the 15-year lifecycle of the H100 generation (which was never sold in SA as the H90 generation was produced locally until 2005), the report estimates that H200’s production may come to an end by 2023 by which point it will be replaced by a variant that closely resembles the current H300 which was officially revealed two years ago.
In Japan, the current H200 Toyota HiAce has undergone three minor facelifts since it was introduced in 2004 with the latest of those taking place in 2013. It has currently been in production for 17 years. Ahead of its rumoured replacement, it’s understood that another mild update will take place in August which will see it comply with current safety and emissions regulations. Together with this, additional standard equipment will be added to the offering in order to make it somewhat more appealing to non-commercial users. These include improved audio systems and other creature comforts.
In order to meet the modern requirements, the Toyota HiAce will be fitted with WLTP compliant turbodiesel engines and a pre-crash safety system with lane departure alert as standard across the range.
Considering the H200 Toyota HiAce is still manufactured in South Africa for the commercial sector, it’s not yet clear whether these rumoured changes will affect our local offering. In 2019, this generation transitioned from the Quantum to the HiAce to make way for the newer model.
