A new SUV will be built at Alabama plant instead of Corolla
When Toyota and Mazda
first announced that they were building a joint manufacturing facility
in Huntsville, Alabama, both automakers made it clear what they were
making. Mazda was going to build a North American-exclusive SUV and Toyota
would add additional production capacity for the Corolla. Well, things
have changed as Toyota has announced that it will make a "new,
yet-to-be-announced SUV" there instead, and we have a strong feeling
it's going to be another small SUV to slot below RAV4.
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| © Motor Trend Staff Toyota-FT-4X-Concept-front-end.jpg |
Toyota's announcement didn't go into much detail as to what model will be added, but Automotive News reports
it will be shown to dealers at a private event in Las Vegas this
September. With SUV sales red hot right now, it's no surprise that
Toyota has decided to dedicate more production capacity to utility
vehicles.
Earlier this year, we reported that Toyota has 12 new or redesigned vehicles coming
in the next three years. Toyota general manager Jack Hollis said that
freeing up the Mississippi plant and moving Corolla to Alabama would
allow for new small vehicles to be built. Hollis also hinted that Toyota
could add another small SUV with available all-wheel drive to slot
below the RAV4, currently the brand's top seller, alongside the
front-drive-only C-HR. "They can be in the same segment, but at a
different price point. Or one is on-road, while the other is off-road.
It could be taller, wider, or more capable," Hollis said during our
interview with him at the 2019 New York auto show. "We get caught
wanting to be in different segments, but what about multiple products in
the same segment?"
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| © Motor Trend Staff |
Those past comments strongly suggest Toyota is looking to enter a
white-space niche that it currently doesn't have a presence in—and
today's announcement only adds fuel to the speculation fire. Since Toyota
originally planned to produce the Corolla in Alabama, a potential new
small SUV would most likely utilize the TNGA-C platform that underpins
the Corolla, C-HR, Prius, and the Lexus UX.
The new small SUV would occupy the narrow space between the C-HR and
RAV4, making it a competitor to subcompact SUVs on the larger end of the
class spectrum like the Subaru Crosstrek and Nissan Rogue
Sport. Unlike the front-drive-only C-HR, this new SUV may be more
rugged, feature a boxier look, and offer all-wheel drive to distinguish
it from on-road-focused competitors.
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Toyota first hinted at another small SUV at the 2017 New York auto show with the boxy FT-4X Concept.
That rig was shorter than the C-HR but was wider and had more ground
clearance for use on (light) dirt trails. Out of all the concepts Toyota
has shown, that one has yet to see a production counterpart. When the
FT-4X was first revealed, Toyota said it was gauging reaction from
dealers and the public before giving it the green light. Assuming the
vehicle got positive feedback, the process from concept to production
was said to take 24-36 months. That doesn't quite line up with the
production timeline at Alabama, which is expected to start building cars
in 2021, though it's possible the project took longer than initially
expected.
Another possible addition would be a model to slot
between the RAV4 and Highlander. The two-row midsize segment has started
to gain popularity and new players like the Honda Passport and Chevrolet Blazer have joined the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano, Subaru Outback, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Toyota would be wise to enter that segment since it hasn't really had
anything in that niche since the Venza was discontinued after the 2015
model year. Should Toyota decide to reenter this class, it would need
something less car-like in looks. Like all new Toyota models, a
potential Passport fighter would be underpinned by one of the TNGA
platforms, likely the GA-K used in the Camry and Avalon.
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| © Motor Trend Staff |
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