Well, it didn’t take long. Toyota pulled the covers off the new Hilux last week, and it’s already introducing a rally version. As you can imagine, it’s been quietly working on the DKRGR Hulk for a while to get it ready for the upcoming 2026 Dakar Rally. Based on the ninth-generation truck, the DKRGR Hulk brings several major upgrades over its predecessor.
Toyota collaborated with Belgium-based Overdrive Racing to bring the project to fruition ahead of the start of the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on January 3. The new DKRGR Hullx features a newly developed tubular chassis that reduces weight and increases torsional stiffness. It also makes rally-ready lifting easier to service, saving valuable time during tedious runs.
Additionally, the revised rally truck receives a reinforced transmission designed to better withstand the abuse of the 15-day Dakar event, during which it will cover more than 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of timed stages. Ahead of the first race day, the 2026 DKRGR Hullx is completing a test program to allow for any last minute adjustments necessary.
Engine details haven’t been revealed, but the 2025 GRDKR Hilux Evo borrows Land Cruiser’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 with 354 horsepower and 457 pound-feet (620 Newton meters) of torque. Output was sent to all four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
Photo by: Toyota
The TGRW2 RC team will field the new rally truck in the second half of next year before Toyota makes it available to privateer teams. The DKRGR Hullx is obviously not going to be road legal, but a performance version with a license plate and wider tracks is likely to come. Since asked Characterexpert magazine, regardless of whether the GR Sport is planned, Toyota Australia chief designer Nicholas Hughes strongly suggests it’s a real possibility:
‘I guess, in the future. But yeah, we’ll get to that — at this point, there’s plenty of news here with that. It can only get better from here. Therefore, we are constantly developing our products. ‘
However, the GR Sport is a step below the full-fat Gazoo Racing model, meaning there are no engine upgrades. The older Hilux GR Sport II received extensive mechanical changes, from a suspension lift and monotube dampers to larger brakes and lighter wheels with all-terrain tires.
But with the next-gen Hilux just arriving, Toyota is in no rush to launch the new GR Sport.
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Source: Toyota
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