After the Lite Ace, another 90s Toyota nameplate is making a comeback to the Philippines: the Tamaraw. This was confirmed by no less than Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., at the sidelines of an official trip to Japan.
A precursor of the current Innova MPV, the Tamaraw was manufactured and sold in the Philippines from 1976 to 2005. It was a dependable utility transport vehicle for many Filipinos, and many are still on the road today.
For his part, Toyota Motor Philippines President Atsuhiro Okamoto has confirmed plans to assemble the all-new Tamaraw at the carmaker’s Santa Rosa, Laguna plant. Okamoto says the carmaker will invest around P 4.4-billion to re-tool their plant for the new light commercial vehicle (LCV).
Okamoto has confirmed that unlike the previous Tamaraw, which was a people carrier (it was designated as an Asian Utility Vehicle or AUV), the all-new model will be purely a utility vehicle. It will ride on Toyota’s IMV-0 platform which means it’ll have a body-on-frame construction. It will also have a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and will come packing a clean diesel engine.
For those who’re keen to wait for the all-new Tamaraw’s arrival, it’s not expected to arrive this year. Okamoto says they’re still studying to modify its engine. Aside from the aforementioned clean diesel engine, Toyota is also studying to outfit it with a hybrid or even a battery-electric powerplant.
This news of the all-new Tamaraw is welcome not just to the general public, but to the employees of the Santa Rosa, Laguna assembly plant as well. The new model is expected to generate “a number of jobs,” despite the Innova ending assembly very soon.
Well-placed sources at Toyota say the arrival of the next-generation Innova is near. This version, which will take on the name, Zenix, will become a CBU import from Indonesia. The front-wheel drive, unibody MPV will also be made available with a gasoline-hybrid engine. Pricing is said to be in the P 1.8-million range.
Is it going to be like a Lite Ace with a diesel engine?
ReplyDeleteDi ba diesels are more expensive now? Better if gasoline.
ReplyDeleteDiesels are built for heavy loading. Gasoline are more of faster mobility. For the same amount of fuel, you'll go distance using diesel when on full load
ReplyDeleteIt would be better if TMP considers exporting this to other countries such as Indonesia, the Middle East, South Africa and South American countries once the Tamaraw gets revived here in PH.
ReplyDeleteThis mishmash of a vehicle lookis like it screams "kill me"
ReplyDeleteShould also consider a 4WD, being utility vehicle, would be great
ReplyDeleteThey should make an automatic transmission variant on the new tamaraw
ReplyDeleteIt has some lines of Land Cruiser 70. I hope they create a passenger version more like the old Revo
ReplyDeletehi po lang ask po expensive replacing another vehicle ?!!!!
ReplyDelete