What were the old Toyota trucks called?
The short answer is that Toyota’s early trucks carried a few different names depending on market and era—most notably the Hilux globally, with the U.S. market using the Toyota Pickup label; an even earlier Japanese-market model wore the Toyopet Stout badge. This article traces the branding that shaped Toyota’s trunk-line before the modern Hilux/Tacoma lineup.
Historically, Toyota’s pickup lineage began in the 1960s with the Toyopet Stout in Japan, a precursor to what would become the Hilux family. As Toyota expanded globally, the Hilux name became the standard for the compact pickup in most markets, while the United States commonly branded the truck as the Toyota Pickup for several decades. The branding reflects how Toyota adapted a single underlying truck platform to different regions, gradually evolving into today’s Hilux (global) and Tacoma (United States) lineup.
Historical names across markets
Below are the principal labels that appeared on Toyota’s older trucks before the modern Hilux/Tacoma branding became universal:
- Hilux — the global name for Toyota's compact pickup, introduced in the late 1960s and remaining in use in most markets today.
- Toyota Pickup — the branding used in the United States for the compact pickup for several decades, until the mid-1990s, when the Tacoma began to take over the midsize segment in the U.S.
- Toyopet Stout — an early Japanese-market light truck from the mid-1960s that laid the groundwork for the Hilux family.
These names illustrate Toyota’s strategy of regional branding while leveraging a shared engineering foundation that has persisted through multiple generations.
Summary
In summary, Toyota’s old trucks were primarily known as the Hilux worldwide, with the United States historically using the Toyota Pickup label. Earlier still, Japanese markets used the Toyopet Stout name for an early light-truck model. Today, the global line is led by the Hilux in most markets, while the U.S. market has moved toward the Tacoma for its midsize pickup needs.
