The chief designer behind the Toyota FT-4X concept says the off-roader for city-slickers isn’t far off being ready for production. Ian Cartabiano (pictured below) told media after the FT-4X was officially unveiled at the New York motor show: “We always design to be at the 75 per cent stage. We can make this thing.” Cartabiano is head of design at Toyota’s Calty studio in … [Read more...] about Update: FT-4X near-production ready, says Toyota design chief
Toyota
Toyota’s off-road concept for town-and-around ‘millennials’
Under the theme ‘Let’s go places’, Toyota has unveiled a four-wheel-drive adventure concept aimed at making last-minute adventures for city-slickers as easy as possible. It’s called the FT-4X, or ‘Future Toyota Four-Wheel-Drive Crossover’. The buyers Toyota’s marketing people have in mind are ‘millennials who are fond of the outdoors, but operate almost always … [Read more...] about Toyota’s off-road concept for town-and-around ‘millennials’
C-HR – a Toyota SUV that is most unlike a Toyota SUV
Toyota NZ sales manager Steve Prangnell (above) reckons SUVs in the compact segment are “drab looking compared to our car.” He’s talking about Toyota’s new C-HR, a look-at-me five-door designed under instruction from the big boss in Japan, company president and CEO Akio Toyoda. It’s what Toyoda wants from his styling studios. He said it himself: “Cars that people want to … [Read more...] about C-HR – a Toyota SUV that is most unlike a Toyota SUV
Toyota recruits Edge to help battle Jedi master, Ford Ranger
Two years ago this week, the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux were neck-and-neck in the first three months of the 2015 sales race: Ranger had registered 1310 utes, Hilux 1298. The Nissan Navara was in third place, a distant 500 units away on 800. Two years on, the Ranger continues to gather its forces to become the Jedi master of the one-tonners. At the end of last month 2214 … [Read more...] about Toyota recruits Edge to help battle Jedi master, Ford Ranger
New-look Toyota Highlander gets engine, gearbox from Lexus
Behind the alphabet soup that denotes new technology in the updated Toyota Highlander SUV is the 3.5-litre V6 engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox from the company’s premium brand, Lexus. The Highlander is the first Toyota to use the pairing, specifically put together to improve performance, economy, and exhaust emissions in both the two- and four-wheel-drive models. All … [Read more...] about New-look Toyota Highlander gets engine, gearbox from Lexus