Japanese Car News

[iRage]

Suzuki and Toyota have reached an agreement in India to co-share models. As a result of the agreement the two companies will start by Toyota selling the Corolla though Suzuki dealerships; and Suzuki will be selling the Vitara Brezza and the Baleno through the Toyota dealerships. Later on they plan to introduce Hybrid vehicles. The agree ent seems to be part of the old collaboration signed last year to co-develop EVs by 2020... 

[iRage]

When a Camry gets 'posh'd up you get the Avalon....when that gets posh'd up you get the Lexus ES....(fyi the Japanese market is deprived of the Avalon and the ES...)

[iRage]

For the Chinese market only

1. A Nissan Leaf based EV Sylphy

2. Corolla PHV

[raveeJaya]

Toyota Prius 2019  Is this true. ?

 

 

[iRage]

21 minutes ago, raveeJaya said:

Toyota Prius 2019  Is this true. ?

 

 

Nope...it was Pakistani toyota group that went around calling it Prius 2019. 

In 2010ish ? Toyota had an internal competition to design a PHV family sedan. At the time Toyota claimed that the winning design will be the blueprint for a PHV family sedan that will be released in 2015. This was the winning design and it was showcased in 2012. Many people thought that this would be the start of a new line of PHV vehicles...much like, at the time, Prius was the family of Hybrid vehicles. The 2015 family sedan never materialized, although some of the design queues and ideas have gone on to a few of the other models. When the concept was first showcased people beleived that this would be the Prius we currently have. Which also was not the case.

[raveeJaya]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

Nope...it was Pakistani toyota group that went around calling it Prius 2019. 

In 2010ish ? Toyota had an internal competition to design a PHV family sedan. At the time Toyota claimed that the winning design will be the blueprint for a PHV family sedan that will be released in 2015. This was the winning design and it was showcased in 2012. Many people thought that this would be the start of a new line of PHV vehicles...much like, at the time, Prius was the family of Hybrid vehicles. The 2015 family sedan never materialized, although some of the design queues and ideas have gone on to a few of the other models. When the concept was first showcased people beleived that this would be the Prius we currently have. Which also was not the case.

Thank you for the information. I don't understand why Toyota did not use these concept cars to reality. I think if they introduce this kind of model, there will be lot more Toyota fans in the world.

[iRage]

On 4/25/2018 at 6:05 PM, iRage said:

When a Camry gets 'posh'd up you get the Avalon....when that gets posh'd up you get the Lexus ES....(fyi the Japanese market is deprived of the Avalon and the ES...)

...and the new ES will be introduced in Japan around Fall of 2018  Cool

[iRage]

The good old Corolla seems to have gotten interesting again.

 

NOTE : Axio and Fielder images are renderings done by artists..NOT official designs...

 

The Auris apparently will be renamed as Corolla hatchback and Corolla Sports (kind of like how it was with the Corolla RunX). It will go on sale in Japan in June 2018 !! Yay !!! Although not official...at first it will have a 1.2L Turbo gasoline engine (from the previous model) and a 2.0L Hybrid with either a 6MT or a CVT with 1st-gear launch.

 

Interesting part : In summer of 2019 the plan seems to be to launch a Corolla Sports GT ! 1600cc of goodness pushing 240ish HP

 

the new Corolla Axio and Fielder will also be launched in the Spring of 2019 with a larger body which will put it in the same tax category as the Premio/Allion in Japan...Personally I think it looks funky and mean...albeit the Fielder does look like a Subaru LeVorg

 

**No news about what will happen to the Premio/Allion as yet....but the general sentiment is that since the Corolla is now the same category as the PremioAllion in Japan it will be no longer needed.

 

[matroska]

56 minutes ago, iRage said:

same category as the PremioAllion in Japan it will be no longer needed

good riddance ????

[iRage]

First Toyota starts phasing out its diesel vehicles in Europe...followed by Subaru...and now Nissan. 

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/05/07/business/corporate-business/nissan-withdraw-diesel-vehicle-market-europe/#.WvBq4oiFPIV

[Ruslan]

12 hours ago, iRage said:

The good old Corolla seems to have gotten interesting again.

 

NOTE : Axio and Fielder images are renderings done by artists..NOT official designs...

 

The Auris apparently will be renamed as Corolla hatchback and Corolla Sports (kind of like how it was with the Corolla RunX). It will go on sale in Japan in June 2018 !! Yay !!! Although not official...at first it will have a 1.2L Turbo gasoline engine (from the previous model) and a 2.0L Hybrid with either a 6MT or a CVT with 1st-gear launch.

 

Interesting part : In summer of 2019 the plan seems to be to launch a Corolla Sports GT ! 1600cc of goodness pushing 240ish HP

 

the new Corolla Axio and Fielder will also be launched in the Spring of 2019 with a larger body which will put it in the same tax category as the Premio/Allion in Japan...Personally I think it looks funky and mean...albeit the Fielder does look like a Subaru LeVorg

 

**No news about what will happen to the Premio/Allion as yet....but the general sentiment is that since the Corolla is now the same category as the PremioAllion in Japan it will be no longer needed.

 

Wow! Interesting indeed!.. (Not For Thel Higannas I Guess :P) looking forward for the GT. it's about some time Toyota introducing something interesting and get rid of the Boring.

[iRage]

The greatly improved Atenza. The last time Mazda did this was with the CX-5 and as a result it turned out to be the "next generation" of the CX-5. No idea if this means this is the "next generation" of the Atenza. Mazda is quite indirect with their model transitions since lately...Will have to wait till the catalogs come out with the new model/frame code changes.

So the soul red gets updated along with a few safety features, the engines and the dashboard

Unfortunately...no Turbo variant for the Japanese market..as yet...

[DidierAubin87]

The Toyota Prius 2019 looks so amazing wow!!!

[iRage]

5 hours ago, DidierAubin87 said:

The Toyota Prius 2019 looks so amazing wow!!!

Where do you see a 2019 Prius ?

[iRage]

A Corolla to look forward to after almost 20 years 

More details of the JDM Corolla Hatch keeps coming out...and Toyota is even teasing plans of a GR Sport variant (sorry I didn't buy the magazine so no pics/renderings of that one)

For starters, its nice to see the old Corolla logo back on a Corolla. No dealership line logos ! Good riddance. Axio is a dental term used to refer to the long axis of a tooth, and yes, every time I saw the logo on a Corolla Axio I thought of teeth . Ironically it even looks like a tooth from a distance.

It is confirmed....the base engines for the JD market will be the 1.8L Hybrid and the 1.2L turbo (so no...the 2.0L NA is not available in Japan). The most powerful engine will be the 3-cylinder, 1.6L Turbo charged engine supposedly putting out close to 248hp (would have been a bit more nicer if it paid more homage to the 4-cyl, N/A 4A-GE engines of the past) will be release next year with a GT grade. I suppose the GR Sport variant, if it ever comes to life, will be based on this.

Toyota uses a new type of dampers it had worked with on with KYB which has a thing called "sliding resistance ?". Apparently the oil in the dampers are mixed with zinc and a few other elements to increase its resistance and the result is a stiffer ride that adjusts dynamically based on the car's body roll. <disclaimer...I know i just massacred the actual Japanese explanation of sliding resistance >

Edited June 5, 2018 by iRage

[kmeeg]

On 6/5/2018 at 5:24 PM, iRage said:

A Corolla to look forward to after almost 20 years 

More details of the JDM Corolla Hatch keeps coming out...and Toyota is even teasing plans of a GR Sport variant (sorry I didn't buy the magazine so no pics/renderings of that one)

For starters, its nice to see the old Corolla logo back on a Corolla. No dealership line logos ! Good riddance. Axio is a dental term used to refer to the long axis of a tooth, and yes, every time I saw the logo on a Corolla Axio I thought of teeth . Ironically it even looks like a tooth from a distance.

It is confirmed....the base engines for the JD market will be the 1.8L Hybrid and the 1.2L turbo (so no...the 2.0L NA is not available in Japan). The most powerful engine will be the 3-cylinder, 1.6L Turbo charged engine supposedly putting out close to 248hp (would have been a bit more nicer if it paid more homage to the 4-cyl, N/A 4A-GE engines of the past) will be release next year with a GT grade. I suppose the GR Sport variant, if it ever comes to life, will be based on this.

Toyota uses a new type of dampers it had worked with on with KYB which has a thing called "sliding resistance ?". Apparently the oil in the dampers are mixed with zinc and a few other elements to increase its resistance and the result is a stiffer ride that adjusts dynamically based on the car's body roll. <disclaimer...I know i just massacred the actual Japanese explanation of sliding resistance >

 

Corolla hatch back coming for US market seems to have a better front look (just my opinion). So far looks like only 2.0L non turbo engine option.

[iRage]

10 hours ago, kmeeg said:

Corolla hatch back coming for US market seems to have a better front look (just my opinion). So far looks like only 2.0L non turbo engine option.

Uhh...what is the difference ? If you are saying the front looks different because of the head-lights and the driving light on the bumper.. those are probably grade specific. So the only difference ends up being the logo.  Looking at the trend with the Camry...this time around it seems like Toyota is trying to make the Corolla (too) look more or less the same in all the markets unlike in the past few models. 

Yes..for the US apparently only the 2.0L in on offer. 

Edited June 8, 2018 by iRage

[iRage]

The new Suzuki Jimny.

Details of the production version of the new Suzuki Jimny and the Jimny Sierra came out today a few days before the actual release.

It still has the same old frame-on-ladder design with the signature boxy body and a part-time 4WD system (which is now lever based as opposed to the buttons of the old model)

The Jimny will have a 660cc engine whilst the Jimny Sierra a 1500cc engine.

As required by Japanese regulations the car will have stability/traction control as standard along with a few other first time in the model safety features (some as standard and some optional)

[iRage]

Toyota's...uhh...Hyper car ?

On Friday te 15th of June, just a day (or two) before Toyota won the 24hr Le Mans race they unveiled this :

The Toyota GR Super Sport (concept) ! 
It was first showcased to the world at the Tokyo Autosalon in January of this year, but this time around Toyota stated that it will actually go on production (hmmm...for who ?)

Its more or less based on the TS050 Hybrid (the car that won the Le Mans race) and will have a 2.4L Twin Turbo V6 with the "Toyota Hybrid System - Racing" putting out a little than 1000hp.

Toyota keeps talking about how they will use active race cars to build road cars instead of using road cars to build race cars....so I guess this is the first ? step...if this is a road car...

[MrCat]

I like this thread..! 

One of the handful of interesting threads apart from all the 'what can i..'  'how can i...' 'where can i... ' etc...

  

[Magnum]

12 hours ago, iRage said:

Toyota's...uhh...Hyper car ?

On Friday te 15th of June, just a day (or two) before Toyota won the 24hr Le Mans race they unveiled this :

The Toyota GR Super Sport (concept) ! 
It was first showcased to the world at the Tokyo Autosalon in January of this year, but this time around Toyota stated that it will actually go on production (hmmm...for who ?)

Its more or less based on the TS050 Hybrid (the car that won the Le Mans race) and will have a 2.4L Twin Turbo V6 with the "Toyota Hybrid System - Racing" putting out a little than 1000hp.

Toyota keeps talking about how they will use active race cars to build road cars instead of using road cars to build race cars....so I guess this is the first ? step...if this is a road car...

Looks dope!

[iRage]

57 minutes ago, Magnum said:

Looks dope!

really ? I hope the production version looks better....it has looks that even its mother can't love

[kmeeg]

I see a Supra concept in Toyota site. Wouldn't it be awesome if they bring it back and if it is at an **affordable price (With 1 shanida wasanawa win)? ?

 

[iRage]

3 hours ago, kmeeg said:

I see a Supra concept in Toyota site. Wouldn't it be awesome if they bring it back and if it is at an **affordable price (With 1 shanida wasanawa win)? ?

 

Oh...I thought I posted it here as well...but yeah..beginning of this year Toyota confirmed that the Supra will be relaunched. Shares a BMW engine. What they revealed was the GR race spec Supra, which again is what the road car will pretty much be like with a subdued engine and less crazy body kit. Again...the whole thing about Race cars contributing to road cars kind of thing.

[iRage]

Not sure if I posted this earlier....but the Toyota Crown was been given a "press" day a week (and a bit ago).

Saw it in person last year at the TMS and...it really is a pretty car. Toyota had confirmed some of the details. The car will have 3 engine types a 3.5L Hybrid, a 2.5L Hybrid and a 2L gasoline engine. Whilst the most powerful is the 3.5L Hybrid the funnest is the 2L Turbo. Test drove a previous/current version of the Crown ad the 2L Turbo felt a lot ore lively because it was lighter...and also...for a petrol head (or anyone who loves driving the way the power id delivered is more prefferable than the Hybrid).

Since the mid/late 90s the Crown became almost like a family/group of cars on its own with the wide body and narrow body vehicles and the wide body having its own line ups within the Majesta range, Royal (Saloon) range and Athlete range. With the new model Toyota confirmed that the Crown will go back to being a single range and the Royal, Majesta (or equivelant) and Athelete (which is supposed to be the RS) will become just grades (instead of its own line up). Also, the TRD kits and upgrades are already lined up

Another dirty little secret Toyota mentioned was that the current Crown did not fully meet international safety standards (primarily being Europe). Which is interesting as the Lexus LS and Crown share a lot and the LS does meet these standards. Anyway...the new one is supposed to be meeting global safety and eco standards with improved systems....(the previous system I test drove the auto braking sucked)

The car will be released on 26 June at a special event called Toyota Connected Day (they will be launching their new vehicle to center and vehicle to vehicle comm system and the new Corolla Hatch). However, the car has already sold 40,000++ units ! 

Entire photo collection :

https://carview.yahoo.co.jp/article/testdrive/20180608-20103971-carview/photo/1/#contents