A few days ago, Toyota registered the Chinese and English trademark name "Frontlander" in China. According to predictions, it may be the name of a new SUV product of GAC Toyota. Because except for C-HR, GAC Toyota's SUV product lines will all be named after "-Landa (-lander)".
What kind of car will this be? Considering that Toyota has registered the English trademark of Harrier in China in 2018, it is reasonable to guess that Fenglanda is the Guangfeng version of Harrier, while FAW Toyota will use the original name of the overseas model Harrier, and the Chinese name may be "Hai". Leah".
Whether it is Guangfeng or Yifeng, who is this Harrier that will be produced in China?
The emergence of Harrier is closely related to Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus.
Lexus first entered the U.S. market as a high-end brand in the late 1980s. Although Lexus has always insisted on local production in Japan (it was not until the sixth-generation ES was put into production at the Toyota plant in Kentucky, USA), the brand was not sold in Japan at first and did not return to Japan until 2005.
In the more than ten years since Lexus has been absent from Japan, Lexus models have been sold under the Toyota logo. For example, the ES is called Toyota Windom in Japan.
For another example, the Lexus RX, which was born in 1998, also has a rebranded car - Harrier. They are all based on Toyota's K platform, also known as the Camry platform. Within 10 years, it accompanied the Lexus RX for two generations in Japan.
This strategy is not very effective. Although Lexus is definitely a successful luxury brand on a global scale, the large-displacement engine and wide car body targeted at the North American market are not popular in Japan. You are born to face high taxes. The brand image of these Lexus models with Toyota logos is not high-end, and they are not convincing enough for Japanese users to pay for them. This is also one of the main reasons for Lexus to return to the Japanese market.
In 2008, Lexus RX ushered in its third generation model. Now that Lexus already exists in China, the positioning of Harrier is worth re-examining. It did not replace it immediately, but it took a full five years before the third-generation model with the chassis code XU60 was launched.
It is an independent model, slightly related to the RX in terms of styling, but it is built on the MC platform of RAV4 (RAV4 happened to be replaced that year). In terms of size, it is slightly inferior to the SUV models built under the K platform. The wheelbase is the same as the RAV4 at that time at 2660mm, and the length is about 60mm longer than the RAV4. Therefore, it can be regarded as a RAV4 with a higher positioning.
Its engines are also the mainstream 2.0L and 2.5L displacements in Japan. However, in models exported to the Southeast Asian market, it is also equipped with the 2.0T engine used in the Highlander.
A few days ago, Toyota released the official picture of the fourth-generation Harrier model. The new car will be priced in Japan on June 17.
The new car is built on the same TNGA-K platform as RAV4. It is worth mentioning that the TNGA-K platform has integrated all sedan and SUV models from A+ to B+ sizes. Therefore, this generation of Harrier will also share the platform with Camry and Asia Dragon. Based on the platform, it has returned to its previous level.
In terms of styling, it adopts an urban streamlined sports style, which contrasts with the angular and hard-core style of RAV4, and also retains some genes inherited from the Lexus RX.
Compared with the previous generation model, its wheelbase has been lengthened by 30mm to 2690mm, and its length has been lengthened by 20mm to 4740mm. The body is lowered by 30mm to reflect a sportier stance. Obviously, it's not for off-road enthusiasts.
In terms of powertrain, Harrier will share 2.0L and 2.5L Dynamic Force family engines with RAV4***, matched with Direct CVT transmission, and will also be equipped with a 2.5L engine + THS II hybrid four-wheel drive System models.
In terms of interiors, Harrier will also use a floating central control screen element, but the overall panel materials will be wrapped with more soft materials, presenting a more refined visual and tactile experience.
Considering the safety configuration level of Toyota TNGA models in China, the TSS safety system is not expected to be absent from new domestic cars, and is likely to be standard equipment in all series.
The overseas version of Harrier’s high-end models also provides a JBL 9-speaker audio system, which is also equipped on the domestic Avalon. It is expected that high-end models of Harrier’s domestically produced models will provide this configuration.
Harrier is positioned between RAV4 and Highlander, which means it is a typical "big five-seater" product. In this market segment, the most representative one is Honda Crown Road.
Somewhat embarrassingly, the wheelbase of Harrier overseas is exactly the same as that of RAV4, while Toyota does not have the habit of lengthening the wheelbase domestically. If it enters the Chinese market with a wheelbase of 2690mm, it will be the same as that of RAV4. There is still an order of magnitude gap between the Crown Road's 2820mm wheelbase and 4858mm length. Under the TNGA-K architecture, it is still unknown to what extent the design hard points of the seat position can be adjusted. If the rear passenger space is basically the same as that of RAV4, and only the trunk space is slightly improved, then it obviously lacks enough convincing for the target group of large five-seat SUVs.
In addition, GAC Toyota and FAW Toyota put into production this model at the same time, and there is no differentiated competition in terms of positioning. Is the Japanese car company's "one chicken, two eats" mentality a joint effort to seize market share, or is it internal consumption? I think this may depend on changes in the overall market environment, and may be a potential risk point for Harrier’s future twin models.
Of course, pricing may be more beneficial to Harrier’s future domestic models. Considering that the Highlander is priced at RMB 239,800-325,800 and the Wilanda is priced at RMB 171,800-241,800, the price range of Harrier's domestic models is a compromise of RMB 205,000-280,000, which is more reasonable. The price of the main competitor Guandao reaches 220,000-330,000, which is almost the same as Highlander. At the same price, Harrier will have a clear price-performance advantage compared to Crown Road.
Since there are currently no spy photos of Harrier’s domestically produced models, we expect that it may not be launched in the domestic market earlier than 2021. We will continue to pay attention to the specific time when it will be put on the market and what adjustments will be made after domestic production.