According to a report by Bloomberg, Toyota and its subsidiary, Lexus, are set to ramp up production of its SUV models at respective plants in Japan and Canada. No surprise, really, as most buyers tend to opt for a SUV or a compact crossover as compared to traditional sedans these days.
In 2014, combined sales of SUVs and crossovers from Toyota and Lexus increased by 16%, setting a new record for the firm. Oddly enough, as Toyota and Lexus increase productivity at its respective plants, the firm maintains that it has no solid plans to establish new ones to cope with the step up in capacity.
“The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016. That hasn’t changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted,” said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America. Key models responsible for the surge in demand are the Toyota RAV4 and Lexus RX – the former, a rival to the popular Honda CR-V.
As a result of the burgeoning demand for crossovers and SUVs, Toyota is looking to introduce new models into the mix – chief of which includes a model to sit below the RAV4. “We’re going to have to look at how the market under the RAV4 develops. That’s going to be the next growth spurt,” adds Lentz.
Last year, Toyota delivered a total of 267,698 RAV4s in North America, despite the potential to deliver 300,000 units instead. Furthermore, Lexus will have its hands full as it enters the first full year of NX production – a model which has already outsold its competitors from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
At the 2014 Paris show in September, Toyota revealed the rather funky-looking C-HR Concept SUV (pictured above), which could be a crystal ball as to what they’re talking about. We previously sighted a jacked up Toyota Auris on test – that could be the running gear for the production version of this new small SUV undergoing testing.
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compared with that Lexus, Toyota design really thumb down
Exactly the same when you look at Lotus and Proton design… Proton hire teenagers to design their car, what do you expect?
Get rid of the toyota rush and redesign a more exciting model in that segment, 1.6 to 1.8 engine… price 90k to 110k… the Rush is more than a decade behind time.
They should make the Toyota Rav4 CKD in Malaysia. That beauty beast.
First of all, “No surprise, really, as most buyers tend to opt for a SUV or…” has an error.
It should be “An” SUV, not “a”.
Back to the news, the RAV4 is an attractive car, with a beautiful interior. What a shame that UMW doesn’t offer it here.
A Sports Utility Vehicle.. Not An Sports Utility.. but yeah I’ve always wondered.. An SUV sounds kinda right but a SUV should technically be right although annoying to the ears..
Nope. You decide which articles(a, an,the) to use by the sound of the letter/word, not by how it looks.
So, it’s right to use “a” for Sports Utility Vehicle, but incorrect to use it for “S.U.V” as it sounds “es-you-vee”.
yup, from vowel, not from appearance of aeiou. thats why “a university” is correct, “an university isnt. eh wait..i dont even went to any university!!hehehe
Guess you’re right! Haha makes sense..
I stil prefer boxy suv from toyota like the land cruiser/cygnus
“A SUV” or “a Sport Utility Vehicle” should be correct instead of “an SUV”. “An” is usually used in front of word that starts with a,e,i,o,u. Be guided.
It doesn’t depend on the spelling, but more to the sound. SUV is pronounced as es-you-vee, that’s why we should use “an” instead of “a”. However, you do use “a” for Sport Utility Vehicle.
It’s the same case with university, “a” university, not “an”.
nope.. explain pls y we use “an” honest man and not “a” honest man?
Ahh, although this is an automobile-dedicated webpage, I still have to say this: You got it all wrong there, buddy!
“An” is used on words with headings that SOUND like “ah, eh, i, o, you”, not look like them.
One fine example would be “an hour”. It doesn’t start with any of the 5 vowels but it sounds like “ah-wer”, so we use “an”. On the other hand, “university” should use “a” and not “an” because it sounds like “you-ni-ver-siti”.
THIS, is what you should be guided.
You’ve seen Toyotas in almost every car segment around the globe (including Africa, Arab state and eastern Europe) but I think this time around they failed to forecast the consumer buying trend.
L MPV: Alphard, Veilfire, Estima, Innova
M MPV: Voxy, Noah, Isis, Wish
S MPV: Avanza
L SUV: 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Prado, Fortuner
M SUV: FJ Cruiser
S SUV: Rush
L crossovers: Kluger (my favourite), Venza
M crossovers: Rav4
S crossovers: NONE!
L trucks: Tacoma, Tundra
M trucks: Hilux
S trucks: I’m assuming in future small trucks will become a trend as well
Judging the plethora of car models/range they are offering in the market, losing out to one emerging segment shouldn’t be a problem to the biggest car manufacturer in the world.
I think UMW should bring in the Toyota RAV4 , and probably CKD it … so that consumer have more choices besides CRV, and CX5