The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck. In North America the popular option package, the SR5 (Sport Rally 5-Speed), was colloquially used as a model name for the truck, even though the option package was also used on other Toyota models like the Corolla. In 1984, the Trekker, the camper version of the Hilux, was renamed as the 4Runner in Australia and North America, and as the Hilux Surf in Japan. In 1995, Toyota introduced a new pickup model, the Tacoma in the United States, discontinuing the Hilux/Pickup there. The 4Runner is now a full SUV, and the more recent models do not resemble the Tacoma.
In spite of the name "Hilux", it was a highly luxurious vehicle only when compared to the Stout. Hilux was engineered and assembled by Hino Motors to fill a niche between the smaller Briska and the larger Stout in most markets or to replace them in some markets. For the North American market, the only body style was a regular cab short bed and all were rear-wheel drive. It used a typical truck setup of A-arms and coil springs in front and a live axle with leaf springs in back. A 4-speed manual transmission was standard.