Toyota’s Corolla Cross Pickup Could Take On The Ford Maverick

Toyota has a compact unibody pickup truck in development, and the first spy shots prove it’s not just a rumor. Brazilian automotive outlet BlogAuto caught a heavily camouflaged prototype of the Corolla Cross-based pickup on a highway outside São Paulo. Under all the camo, you can make out its Corolla Cross roots, just with a pickup bed where the C-pillar trails off. Toyota Motor North America's CEO has already acknowledged the segment's appeal, though he pointed to the larger RAV4 as the more likely US-market basis rather than the Corolla Cross, both of which ride on the same TNGA platform. Either way, it looks like Toyota will be taking a bite out of the Maverick’s pie soon. 

Toyota’s Compact Pickup Hits The Road Running

The spy shots reveal a dual-cab layout with boxy wheel arches and a full-width tailgate complete with an integrated step. Toyota has made no official comment, but a running prototype on public roads is about as close to confirmation as you can get.

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Entry-level models will likely use the 2.0-liter engine already found in the Corolla Cross, producing around 169 hp and paired with a CVT, available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions. The more compelling option could be the 2.0-liter hybrid paired with three electric motors for a total of 196 hp and standard all-wheel drive, once again borrowed from the Corolla Cross. If based on the RAV4, expect to see the 2.5-liter hybrid with 226 hp, the all-wheel drive version with 236 hp, as well as the RAV4 plug-in hybrid's 324 hp setup.

The estimated pricing of Toyota's compact pickup is anybody's guess, but the Corolla Cross starts at around $25,000 in the US, and the Ford Maverick opens at just over $28,000. Toyota's compact truck would realistically have to land somewhere close. Considering the RAV4 starts at just under $32,000, if Toyota were to build a truck based on the Corolla Cross instead, it may just have the upper hand, at least in price.

Why the Maverick Proved There Was a Market Worth Chasing

Ford stumbled onto something significant when it launched the Maverick in 2021 at under $20,000. The truck sold out almost immediately and has never really looked back. Ford sold more than twice as many Mavericks as Rangers, with combined truck output pushing the brand past one million US sales in both 2024 and 2025. The Maverick tapped into something the industry had forgotten: buyers who want the practicality of a pickup bed without the footprint or the fuel bill of a full-size truck. Toyota watched Ford prove the math works, and now wants in.

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