The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ is scheduled to be released this year.
Image: Supplied
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has lifted the veil over the cars they are set to launch into the local market this year, showing a strong bias towards their stated intention of a phased electrification strategy.
Six new energy vehicles (NEV) are set to make their debut, including three fully electric cars.
Here’s a glance at what we can expect from the Japanese automaker.
Land Cruiser FJ
The star at the recent State of the Motoring Industry workshop hosted by the company was undoubtedly the new Land Cruiser FJ.
The FJ nameplate has been revived with a new, compact body-on-frame SUV positioned below the Land Cruiser 300 and Prado.
Powertrain and output: 2.7-litre naturally-aspirated petrol four-cylinder.
Power output: 120kW and 246Nm of torque.
Transmission: Six-speed automatic paired with a part-time 4WD system, low-range and rear differential lock.
Diesel speculation
Toyota has not confirmed a diesel variant but TSAM say they are talking to the mother company to possibly slot in the 2.8 GD-6 turbodiesel.
The FJ’s ladder-frame architecture is based on Toyota’s IMV chassis, similar to the Hilux and Fortuner.
It includes the latest Toyota Safety Sense suite, with active driver assists for both on-road and off-road conditions.
The Toyota bZ4X – BEV will be the company's first full battery-electric vehicle for South Africa.
Image: Willem van de Putte
Toyota bZ4X – BEV
Toyota’s first full battery-electric vehicle for South Africa rides on the e-TNGA platform.
Powertrain: Single-motor front-wheel drive and dual-motor AWD
Battery: 57.7kWh or 73.1kWh (model dependent)
Outputs:
The RAV4, The best selling-car in the world, will move to a fully electrified line-up.
Image: Willem van de Putte
Toyota RAV4 – HEV & PHEV
The best selling-car in the world will move to a fully electrified line-up and for the first time we’ll see a GR Sport version.
HEV (Hybrid)
Powertrain: 2.5-litre petrol with Toyota’s latest hybrid system
Output: 135–141kW (FWD/AWD dependent)
PHEV (Plug-in hybrid)
Corolla Cross GR-S HEV
The GR-Sport builds on the locally produced Corolla Cross Hybrid.
Final power outputs for the GR-S variant still need to be confirmed by Toyota South Africa.
Land Cruiser 300 1M-HEV
The hybridised Land Cruiser 300 combines turbocharging with hybrid technology.
The RZ BEV is Lexus’ first dedicated electric SUV and has a steer-by-wire system.
Image: Willem van de Putte
Lexus RZ BEV
Lexus’s first dedicated electric SUV shares its platform with the bZ4X but is positioned higher.
Lexus RZ 600e
GR Corolla facelift
The race-focused GR Corolla gets an eight-speed Direct Automatic transmission, as also seen on the GR Yaris, as well as some minor tweaks.
Power figures are said to be 210kW and 400NM.
New Hilux
Although not showcased, the top-selling bakkie in South Africa is set to be replaced with a highly revised version.
It’s going to be a busy year for the top-selling manufacturer in the country as they aim to keep their market position.