The readers of Auto Bild Allrad, Germany’s largest automotive journal dedicated specifically to four-wheel drive vehicles, recently voted the Toyota Hilux 4×4 the best imported pick-up available in Germany.
A total of 175 all-wheel drive models competed in ten categories including SUVs, crossovers, MPVs, sedans, hatches and, of course, pick-ups (or bakkies as they are colloquially referred to), which is where the Hilux came up trumps in the readers’ poll,
Of special significance is the fact that the Hilux available in Germany is built at the Prospecton Plant in Durban where an average of around 120 000 units are produced each year – approximately 30 per cent is for domestic consumption while the remaining 70 per cent is exported to Africa, Latin America and Europe, including Germany.
“This prestigious award once again underlines why the Hilux is not just SA’s favourite but Germany’s too,” says Kerry Roodt, General Manager of Marketing Communications for Toyota South Africa Motors.
Roodt attributes its success to, “robustness, reliability and peerless off-road ability. What’s more, this darling of the Dakar displays impeccable on-road manners and is endowed with a full complement of safety as well as luxury kit, making it the perfect companion for all situations.”
“The poster child for indestructibility, the SA-built Toyota Hilux thoroughly deserves its best-seller tag – and it seems the Germans would agree.”