Hot, new Toyota models to be on the look-out for

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Hot, new Toyota models to be on the look-out for

Toyota summarises the year that was and announces projections for the years to come, along with the introduction of several new models and product reveals at their annual SOMI address.

April 2021 was a tough month for Toyota South Africa (TSAM). Not only was the world haemorrhaging with shipping issues, semi-conductor shortages, and the after-effects of the pandemic, but torrential rainfall from the storm of the century saw the banks of the Umlazi river to burst its banks and flood the South Durban basin where Toyota’s Prospecton plant is based. Water coursed through the plant, destroying everything in its wake. This disaster resulted in over 4 000 vehicles having to be scrapped, millions of Rands damage to the plant, and the cessation of production for no less than three months.

A travesty of this magnitude would easily have sunk lesser entities but thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Toyota Dealer network and global partners, the plant was reopened and set about making South Africa’s favourite vehicles.

Naturally, projected sales and production figures had to be adjusted and where the initial projections targeted a figure of 580 000 vehicle sold both domestically and exported, the final figure came to rest at 528 963; an impressive achievement considering the multitude of challenges faced throughout the year.

hot, new toyota models to be on the look-out for

Environmental objectives

In his address, TSAM CEO, Andrew Kirby also laid out the plans for the future of TSAM regarding carbon emissions and their stance on electromobility: “Toyota takes a holistic approach to Carbon Neutrality, which means that the company addresses carbon from a lifecycle assessment perspective where carbon emissions are tackled throughout the value chain; not just targeting the end product which is a vehicle with zero emissions. This touches on many areas including how we source materials from our suppliers, how we manufacture our cars, what powertrains we put in them, how we sell them and even how we dispose of them at the end.”

TSAM aims for operational carbon neutrality by the year 2035 and is firmly on track to achieve this target.

Kirby also went on to highlight the future of electrified vehicles in South Africa and how SA faces unique challenges: “For some markets, BEVs are the answer, but for others – like ours – we have to recognise that we can only fully adopt this technology when our infrastructure can support them at scale. We have to recognise that SA is not currently geared up to receive many of these NEV technologies on scale. For starters, we have a very limited charging grid (just 267 charging stations throughout the country – and mostly concentrated in your metro areas). Now couple that with the very obvious energy crisis that we are experiencing, and you can see why a one-size-fits-all strategy is currently not feasible,”

Therefore we can expect to see Toyota introducing more hybrid electric vehicles in the near future.

New models

What would a SOMI address be without the reveal of a few new models, some of which we can expect to see over the coming months. Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TSAM Leon Theron took the audience through some of the vehicles to look out for.

Toyota Mirai

Don’t expect to see the striking Mirai on dealership showroom floors any time soon. Toyota is in the process of showcasing the Mirai around the world as it’s the company’s flagship hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicle. This FCEV is helping Toyota prepare for the future and allowing them to show the government the possible direction that mobility is headed, allowing them to formulate plans for the future.

Lexus UX BEV

It’s not uncommon to see a hybrid Lexus, in fact the entire local Lexus UX range is hybrid, but the UX BEV will be the first full-electric offering from the brand. You can expect to see a range of approximately 450 km from the UX BEV as it draws power to supply a 150 kW output for a 0 to 100 km/h time of 7.5-seconds.

Lexus NX PHEV

While series-parallel hybrids are the norm for Lexus, plug-in hybrids will soon join them, offering a greater all-electric range and still providing the freedom and convenience of ICE mobility. The NX PHEV is said to have a 60 km electric range and do the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in only 6.2-seconds.

Lexus RX

The formidable Lexus RX gets a new lease on life with this new generation. A striking design approach and a variety of powertrain options will help ensure that the RX is well received.

Toyota Crown

With all the emphasis being placed on SUVs in recent years, it’s welcoming to see Toyota placing some thought into the sedan segment. The Toyota Crown is a radical take on the theme and will be available in limited numbers later this year. Powered by a 2.5-litre E-Four Hybrid, you get 176 kW of power and a low fuel consumption of only 4.4 l/100km.

Toyota Fortuner

In what Toyota is calling a minor change, you can expect to see a rather fresh-faced Fortuner in the near future. Featuring a revised front bumper, new headlights and grill as well as a redesigned rear end with interior colour options, the new Fortuner is set to continue its sales success.

Toyota Vitz

No, your eyes don’t deceive you, this is a Toyota product. The Vitz will be replacing the ageing Agya as Toyota’s offering in the A segment. Parallels will naturally be drawn with the Suzuki Celerio but this approach has worked well for the likes of the Urban Cruiser and Starlet so far.

Toyota Urban Cruiser

The Toyota Urban Cruiser has proven to be a popular option for many across South Africa and the next-generation Urban Cruiser is bound to build on that. With rather attractive styling and practical proportions, along with improved space and safety features, this new Urban Cruiser will find its home in many a new driveway.

Chad LückhoffWith over 18 years of motorsport commentary and a passion for 90s Japanese Sports Cars, Chad Lückhoff is happiest when surrounded by drift cars and smoking tyres. His experience as the Technical Editor of the country’s top tuning magazine means that it’s the nuts and bolts of motoring that tickles his fancy. As comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it, he’ll take you behind the wheel with his video reviews, written recounts, and invoking photography. One of the first to join the AutoTrader fray, Chad has been living his passion at AutoTrader for over 7-years.View News & Reviews