Toyota stages a simultaneous global reveal of its totally redesigned second-generation Fortuner 7-seat SUV.
Tony Cramb, executive director-sales and marketing, Toyota Australia, says the world premiere, staged simultaneously in Australia and Thailand, heralds a tough vehicle that offers genuine all-wheel-drive ability.
The first-generation Fortuner was introduced under the Innovative International Multi-Purpose Vehicle project in 2005.
The ’16 Fortuner launches in Australia in October and then progressively in other markets this year and next.
The Fortuner shares the rugged underpinnings of the Hilux pickup truck, Cramb says.
“Fortuner provides a diesel alternative to the (gasoline-only) Kluger range as the new entry point for customers looking to purchase a large Toyota diesel SUV,” he says.
The range includes new 2.4L and 2.8L turbodiesel engines.
The new model is only a few centimeters bigger than the previous version, but Toyota has worked hard to create a new look for the SUV that masks its mundane pickup roots. Although instrumentation is carried over from the Hilux, the cabin has been reworked to give the Fortuner a much more upmarket feel.
In Thailand, Hiroki Nakajima-Toyota Executive Chief Engineer and Managing Officer, traveled from Japan to join Toyota Thailand officials for the Bangkok launch.
Nakajima says the all-new Fortuner is the outcome of Toyota’s efforts to develop a tough vehicle with greatly improved off-road capabilities.
“We developed a new stronger frame which enables the vehicle to withstand rough road conditions (and an) improved 4-link suspension system for a more comfortable drive,” he says in a statement. “The new engine has high torque at lower revolutions.”
In Thailand, the Fortuner is being offered in five levels with an entry-level price of TB1.2 million ($35,070). The top-of-the-range 2.8G model with tan leather upholstery and hill-descent control goes for TB1.6 million ($46,740).
Toyota Thailand has set a local monthly sales target of 2,600 units.
– with Edd Ellison in Bangkok
