New year, new ride: Toyota Veloz HEV

The Toyota Veloz, which is a common sight on Philippine roads, has become the go-to option for people looking for a family-friendly ride that has significantly more road presence and style than the similarly popular current-gen Avanza. 

But beyond the Philippine market, the Toyota Veloz is actually a strong contender for the Toyota marque in the ASEAN market as a whole. As such, Toyota, through PT Toyota Astra Motor, introduced the said model’s hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) variant last year. 

For now, the Toyota Veloz HEV is yet to be sold in Indonesia, but its reservation books have already been opened. For that matter, it is also one of the cars we’re excited to see in the Philippines this 2026, since there is sufficient reason to believe that Toyota Motor Philippines still wants to grow its lineup of electrified rides in order to cater to the needs of as many would-be car-buyers as possible. 

Moreover, the Toyota Veloz HEV is manufactured in Indonesia, the same region where TMP sources its stocks of the non-hybrid Veloz, Avanza, Yaris Cross, and Innova Zenix. As such, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see this electrified Toyota nameplate reach Philippine shores. 

So, what can we expect from the Toyota Veloz HEV? Let’s find out here. 

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Toyota Veloz HEV: specs, features

Under the hood of the Toyota Veloz HEV is a 1.5-liter inline-four, 16-valve hybrid electric engine linked to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Notably, the said setup is the same on the Philippine-spec Toyota Ativ HEV, which was rolled out for the local market back in October 2025. 

According to PT Toyota Astra Motor, the Veloz HEV can produce up to 90 horsepower and 121 Newton-meters of torque. We can likewise presume that, like the non-hybrid model, the Veloz HEV uses a unibody chassis with MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension systems. 

Appearance-wise, the Toyota Veloz HEV is identical to the current version sold locally. As such, we can surmise that it also has LED lighting fixtures, roof rails, up to 17-inch alloy wheels, and power-folding/adjust side mirrors. 

Here are the dimensions of the Toyota Veloz HEV: 

Length (in millimeters)	4,475
Width (in mm)	1,775
Height (in mm)	1,770
Seating capacity	Seven

For now, no interior details for the Indo-spec Veloz HEV were shared by PT Toyota Astra Motor. However, we can deduce that it will have at least the same amenities as the top-spec Philippine market V variant. 

As a reference, the Toyota Veloz V variant we have locally right now has leather seats, a 60:40 split-folding second row, a 50:50 split-folding third row, ambient lighting, automatic climate controls, and an illuminated entry system. 

The PH-spec Veloz V also provides its drivers with the following equipment: 

• Tilt and telescopic steering column
• Leather steering wheel
• Seven-inch digital gauge cluster
• Drive mode selector
• Smart entry
• Push-to-start button

At the least, the Toyota Veloz HEV should likewise come with the same nine-inch display found on the Veloz V. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while topping up devices can be done via a 12-volt outlet, a wireless smartphone charger, and USB ports. 

Safety-wise, no details for the HEV version were revealed as well, but the PH-spec Toyota Veloz V has the Toyota Safety Sense advanced driver assist suite consisting of a pre-collision system, automatic high beams, lane trace assist, and lane-keep assist. 

Supporting the aforementioned is a blind-spot monitoring system, rear-cross traffic alert, anti-lock brakes, stability control, hill-start assist, ISOFIX, dual front airbags, side airbags, curtain shield airbags, and a 360-degree view camera - among others. 

Final thoughts

The potential addition of a HEV version of the Toyota Veloz will be a great step for TMP. In doing so, the company may be able to widen the reach of its electrified nameplates, and for consumers, it's another good family-friendly option that might be more affordable compared to the Toyota Innova Zenix HEV. 

For now, however, TMP hasn’t confirmed whether it will bring in the Veloz HEV. But if it did, hopefully it will happen this year. 

Also read:

New year, new ride: next-gen Toyota RAV4

New year, new ride: Toyota Land Cruiser FJ

Zigwheels PH most viewed for 2025: Toyota Fortuner

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