The new Prado will be available for pre-order after the Spring Festival

The overall lineup of exhibitors at the Guangzhou Auto Show is also very large. We are exhibiting 14 models. We focus on two models, one is the new Crown and the other is the new Prado. The new Crown is also an important display in China. Everyone is familiar with the Crown brand. Currently, the Crown brand has formed a rich product matrix, including MPVs, SUVs and crossovers. The focus of the exhibition this time is on sedans. Everyone's understanding of Crown initially started with sedans. This time, through the introduction of Crown sedan products, the product lineup of the Crown family has been further strengthened.

The new Crown is designed with "NEW FORMAL" as its design concept, adhering to the Crown brand's gene of "innovation and challenge". Speaking of Crown, everyone has a relatively high-end and luxurious brand image and perception. In this generation of Crown products, in addition to inheriting the original labels of reliability, luxury and comfort, the products also reflect innovation and change. With the idea of ​​in mind, you can see on the booth that the shape of the entire product is younger and sharper, which is a very big change in style from the image displayed by previous Crown products.
TOPEV: It breaks through the previous pure business image and is more youthful and sporty?

Wang Linhu: We are changing and innovating in this direction.

TOPEV: This time Prado is making its debut in China. We have seen it once before at a foreign auto show. We saw that it has two front faces. Will these two front faces be introduced to the Chinese market?

Wang Linhu: Yes, they will be introduced.

TOPEV: We see that it has a round light design, and there is a white button on the round light design. It feels a bit like the previous LAND CRUISER. Is there a meaning of paying tribute to the classics in it?

Wang Linhu: Everyone is familiar with the Prado product. It is the core model in the LAND CRUISER series. LAND CRUISER has a history of 72 years since the brand was founded. It is a very classic product. This time the new Prado returns to the Chinese market after more than three years. It is a hard-core off-road vehicle with many hard-core capabilities to support hard-core off-road use. For example, it uses Toyota's GA-F platform. The GA-F platform supports the creation of full-size, non-load-bearing body-structured models. Models built on this platform will retain excellent off-road capabilities and improve body stiffness and strength. At the same time, road performance has also been improved, with higher stability and better driving experience. The overall rigidity of the new Prado's body is increased by 30%, and the rigidity of the frame is increased by 50%.

The power system is a 2.4T super hybrid system, matched with an 8AT gearbox, with a maximum power of 243 kilowatts and a maximum torque of 630 Nm. This hybrid system is also launched for the first time. It has very strong comprehensive performance and can provide users with an excellent driving experience in all scenarios.

Finally, there are two designs for the entire shape, one is a round light front face and a rectangular front face. Whether it is a round light or a rectangular appearance, its entire shape reflects a tough, hard-core, and hard-core off-road tone of the entire product. Sex is highly consistent.

 

TOPEV: When will this car be launched?

Wang Linhu: It is expected to be introduced into the FAW Toyota channel next year, and reservations will begin after the Spring Festival.

TOPEV: It is a very classic and reliable model, and the response to its return to China has been very good.

Wang Linhu: Yes. The new Prado is built on the same GA-F platform as the Land Cruiser 300 series. Its off-road performance has been greatly improved, and its driving experience in the city has also been optimized. It will be the user's most loyal and reliable partner on every journey. . At the same time, it redefines hard-core off-roading with its "robust" hard-core qualities, and will also rekindle the passion of car fans and loyal users to explore the world.

In addition to meeting user needs, the return of the new Prado is also of great significance to FAW Toyota. At present, we are also transforming to mid-to-high-end products. After the return of the new Prado, it will lead FAW Toyota's SUV family to present a strong product lineup, forming a complete product matrix from small SUVs, compact urban SUVs, to medium and large SUVs, to luxury hardcore off-road vehicles. Among the current domestic mainstream brands, the only car company with such a comprehensive product layout is FAW Toyota.

TOPEV: In the future, new energy will become mainstream, and the penetration rate will reach 50% by 2025. Due to the need for escape and passability in hard-core off-road vehicles, there have been intense discussions on energy. Some car companies have used pure electric vehicles. , some car companies choose the range extension route, especially joint venture brands choose the plug-in hybrid route. What is our electrification route choice? How do you see the future prospects?

Wang Linhu: For hardcore off-roading, we use a super hybrid system. This power system has been proven by Toyota for many years, especially in hard-core off-road scenarios, which require reliable and professional products. The new Prado is equipped with a 2.4T professional-grade hybrid system, matched with an 8AT gearbox, with a maximum power of 243kW and a maximum torque of 630N.m, making climbing hills easier.

TOPEV: Is our choice firm or the hybrid route?

Wang Linhu: Compared with other power forms, I think the hybrid route is the most reasonable choice and is also an important part of FAW Toyota's diversified layout. In addition to hybrid, we also have fuel, plug-in hybrid, pure electric and other power forms. In the future, we will also deploy hydrogen power, all of which are advancing rapidly.

Toyota's bZ3, the world's first pure electric sedan, has been on the market for nearly a year. The current sales situation of bZ3 is very good. For the first pure electric sedan launched by a joint venture brand, it has fully met our psychological expectations. On this basis, our pure electric products will also be quickly deployed. Today, our booth also displays the next product that will be launched next year. It has a very bright shape. Netizens are also welcome to come and experience the charm of our product. .

TOPEV: What do you think the price range of this car is?

Wang Linhu: We are still discussing the price internally. We will communicate with users, friends and the media as soon as there is information.

TOPEV: You just mentioned that we are innovating our products. Are there any new measures we will launch in terms of services this year or next year?

Wang Linhu: When it comes to service, FAW Toyota has several core reputations based on the reputation of users. One is the quality of the product, which we have very outstanding performance, and the service of FAW Toyota. We have more than 750 4S stores across the country. Stores are located in the east, west, north and south, covering all from first-tier cities to fifth- and sixth-tier cities. If users have any needs at any time, we will respond first.

At the same time, we will pay special attention to the quality of service to our customers. Regardless of the customer service satisfaction evaluation within the Toyota system or the evaluation by external organizations, we have won gold awards for many consecutive years. For example, in multiple evaluations by industry authoritative organizations, FAW Toyota has won the joint-venture brand sales service satisfaction index and after-sales service satisfaction index for four consecutive years, and after-sales service satisfaction has topped the list for six consecutive years. At the same time, it has also won the "Toyota Service Global Gold Award" for 8 consecutive years and a total of 9 times.

TOPEV: Last question, 2023 is coming to an end. How do you view the market environment this year and look forward to the market situation next year.

Wang Linhu: We are all practitioners in the automobile industry, and we all feel the same way. Whether it is a fuel vehicle track or a new energy track, they are quickly entering the knockout stage. The final result of the knockout round is to focus on the leading brands. For FAW Toyota, we are also confident that we will win in the knockout round. This confidence comes from FAW Toyota's brand value, including service and user reputation.

The second is our product layout. Currently, our fuel vehicles, smart electric hybrid models, and pure electric models are all being rapidly deployed. While rapidly deploying our products, we are undergoing transformation in several aspects. The first is the transformation to high-end. Currently, the sales volume of mid-to-high-end products accounts for more than 50%, an increase of nearly 2 percentage points compared with last year. The second is the transformation to electrification. In the first 10 months of this year, FAW Toyota’s electrified product sales accounted for 35%.