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Polestar 3 and 5 updates, and a compact Toyota pickup? | Autoblog Podcast #733

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they discuss the news, including the possibility of a compact Toyota pickup, new details about the Polestar 3 and Polestar 5, whether Tesla needs a PR department and fresh info about the 2023 Honda HR-V. They also review the GMC Sierra, Kia EV6, Hyundai Kona Electric and Buick Enclave Avenir. Next, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski reports from the ground at the first drive of the Ford Bronco Raptor, and Multimedia Producer Erik Maier joins in to talk about Autoblog's Father's Day gift guide and other deals. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #733 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Toyota looking hard at compact pickup market Polestar 3 shows itself and looks good Polestar 5 electric sedan outed in EU patent images (and now we have spy shots) Does Tesla need a PR department? (via Automotive News) 2023 Honda HR-V pricing and specs revealed Cars we're driving: 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate 2022 Kia EV6 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir Dispatch: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Father's Day gift ideas straight from the Autoblog staff Five excellent Father's Day deals for dads Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video:

Toyota rolls out all-new HiLux pickup Down Under [UPDATE]

Never heard of the Toyota HiLux? That could be because it's not sold in America. But it's been around in other markets for 47 years now, over the course of which it has sold over 16 million units. Suffice it to say, then, that the HiLux is a vital product for the Japanese automaker, so the introduction of the new model you see here is a big deal on a global scale. The eighth-generation HiLux is the first all-new one in a decade, and benefits from some substantial improvements. It's touted as tougher and more capable than the ten-year-old model it replaces, but also safer and more comfortable. It boasts more interior space, a larger fuel tank and greater hauling capabilities. In the right spec, it'll tow more than 7,700 pounds and carry up to 2,700. There's a staggering array of configurations to choose from: 31 in all, resulting from two drivetrains, two transmissions, four engines, three cabin sizes and three levels of trim (in Australia at least - see update below). The top 4.0-liter V6 carries over and the 2.7-liter four has been upgraded for higher output and efficiency, but there are two new common-rail turbo-diesels on offer: a 2.4 with 164 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.8 with 174 hp and 332 lb-ft. They're mated to new six-speed manual and automaker transmissions, and buyers in the many markets where the HiLux contends will also be able to select a new Hi-Rider model that combines two-wheel drive with the ride height of the 4x4. The new HiLux is being introduced today in both Thailand and Australia, which are hardly random choices for the new model's debut. Though the truck is manufactured in six countries around the world, the Thai plant alone accounts for 70 percent of its production. And in Australia, the HiLux has not only been the top-selling commercial vehicle for the past 17 years running, but stands as the country's most popular vehicle of any kind – making it Oz's equivalent to our Ford F-150. UPDATE: While the HiLux is clearly a vital product for Toyota in the land Down Under, that's not the only place where it will be sold - and the details listed above will change from market to market. "Specs will differ across the globe, including engine availability," a spokesman for Toyota in Europe told Autoblog. The company's Australian PR rep confirmed that "Each region has its own unique requirements. Engine specs change based on emissions requirements for instance.

Does the Toyota Prius still matter?

Toyota remains incredibly proud of its green halo car, the Prius. On the company website, it calls the gas-electric car, "The hybrid that started it all." Chances are, if someone tells you to think of a hybrid car today, your first thought is going to be the Prius. Now a cultural icon, the Prius changed a lot of attitudes about what an efficient car is able to achieve. But the car is aging, despite numerous refreshes and model tweaks over the years, and sales dropped 11.5 percent last year. It's taken Toyota 25 years of ups and downs to get the Prius to where it is today, and we started wondering if that's too long for the car to remain viable in an era of 40+ mile-per-gallon non-hybrid cars and a plethora of plug-in competitors for the green car crown (we're not the only ones). Plus, Toyota is rapidly shifting its green focus away from the Prius and towards the hydrogen-powered Mirai fuel cell car. But if you ask Toyota representatives if the Prius is still a vital car in 2015 – and we did – you'll find that there's still a lot of love for the car that went before. For example, Geri Yoza is a Toyota national manager who spent years traveling all across the US teaching people about the Prius. The veteran of countless customer education sessions told AutoblogGreen that it took a long time for the Prius to "cross the technology chasm," and that it wasn't until about a decade after launch that the car became a common sight outside of the initial popularity hotspots. "It takes a while for people to become confident in the technology, to understand that it's been proven," she said. Now that the hybrid is ensconced in the public mind, it's time for the next step. "I think the Prius, the whole idea 'to go before,' was to go before the Mirai." Part of that precursor status is due to the fact that a lot of the Prius' powertrain technology has made the jump to the Mirai. When we asked Bob Carter, Toyota's senior vice president of automotive operations, if the Prius still matters, he had a clear answer: "My goodness, yes." "We've been selling hybrids for 25 years," he said, "but when you go back, we had said that the Prius and hybrid technology were a bridge to the future and we were very clear that it's going to be a very long bridge. Essentially, and I'm not an engineer, the Mirai takes the technology from the Prius and takes the ICE engine out and puts a fuel cell stack in.