Toyota trademarks new name to avoid using ‘mild-hybrid’

Toyota Australia appears to be going to extraordinary lengths to avoid using the word ‘hybrid’ to describe an imminent update to its top-selling HiLux ute.

Just days after Toyota announced plans to introduce a mild-hybrid HiLux from 2024 – conspicuously with no mention of the word ‘hybrid’ in the media statement – a trademark filing for the term ‘Toyota Kinetic Assist’ has been unearthed by Drive.

The Japanese car giant appears to be trying to avoid comparisons with its petrol-hybrid cars – such as the Prius and Camry Hybrid – which typically offer much better fuel savings and emissions reductions compared to so-called ‘mild-hybrid’ systems.

As reported earlier this week, Drive understands Toyota Australia executives have been debating what to call the technology, in an effort not to undo the reputation it’s built over two decades with its petrol-electric hybrid range.

MORE: Toyota HiLux mild-hybrid diesel confirmed for Australia, just don’t call it a hybrid

In the original media statement, Toyota Australia referred to the mild-hybrid HiLux as having “48-volt technology”, paired with the ute’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.

While most Toyota petrol-hybrid cars can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 50 per cent compared to their non-hybrid counterparts, the mild-hybrid system is expected to only trim fuel use by 10 per cent.

Hybrid cars also have the ability to be driven at low speeds in pure-electric mode, whereas mild-hybrids merely provide electric assistance during acceleration – similar to a strong artificial tail-wind.

However, it seems other global Toyota offices don’t necessarily share the same fears as Australian executives, with a prototype HiLux with large ‘HYBRID’ stickers down the sides debuting at a round of the World Rally Championship in Kenya this week.

MORE: Toyota HiLux mild-hybrid diesel debuts with rally show run in Africa

In Australia, it appears ‘Toyota Kinetic Assist’ may be the term used to describe the mild-hybrid system, with the word ‘kinetic’ relating to energy and motion.

Keen-eyed readers may remember Toyota’s ‘Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System’, which is unrelated to hybrid-electric components and instead refers to the company’s revolutionary sway-bar decoupling technology, introduced as part of the suspension on the LandCruiser 200 Series more than a decade ago.

The Japanese car brand is yet to officially use ‘Toyota Kinetic Assist’, but it seems the name could be used to reference the 48-volt mild-hybrid system in the electrified HiLux due to arrive in local showrooms in early 2024.

The post Toyota trademarks new name to avoid using ‘mild-hybrid’ appeared first on Drive.