12 Toyota Fashions You Did not Understand Existed

In September 2023, Toyota reached the milestone of manufacturing 300 million vehicles globally since its founding, with over 53 million examples produced of the Corolla alone. With that many vehicles in its again catalog, it is virtually inconceivable to maintain observe of all of them. Some are family names, and others are fanatic favorites, however there are all the time some that are inclined to go underneath most Toyota homeowners’ radars. Lots of these have been produced for brief durations, in low numbers, or restricted to Toyota’s residence market of Japan.

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Some are merely unremarkable vehicles which can be tailor-made to particular markets, however others — notably Toyota’s most obscure JDM fashions — are value realizing about. From Hummer-rivaling off-roaders to highway authorized Le Mans racers, Toyota’s least identified fashions are sometimes a few of its most fascinating. SlashGear dug by the model’s archives to uncover a spread of little identified fashions that many lovers will not have heard of.

The WiLL model was not solely the creation of Toyota, however moderately was a collaborative challenge that concerned a number of main Japanese corporations on the flip of the century. Toyota was liable for designing and producing vehicles for the challenge, and unveiled a number of fashions, every one geared toward attracting youthful patrons. The WiLL Cypha was essentially the most futuristic automotive to emerge from the challenge, that includes Toyota’s G-Guide infotainment system which included a navigation system, e mail connectivity, and even an inbuilt restaurant reservation system.

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It was obtainable with two-wheel-drive as customary, however all-wheel-drive was elective. Patrons of the previous acquired a 1.3L engine whereas patrons of the latter acquired a 1.5L unit. In addition to being progressive in each its know-how and its appears to be like, the WiLL Cypha was additionally provided underneath a novel leasing system that charged customers by the quantity of mileage they drove. Every month, the G-Guide system would log the automotive’s mileage and ship a report again to Toyota, who would invoice the motive force primarily based on that determine.

All these improvements did not translate to gross sales figures, and the Cypha, alongside its different WiLL branded stablemates, by no means offered nicely. Toyota axed the automotive in 2005 after just a few years on sale, and discontinued its involvement within the WiLL challenge shortly after.

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Toyota’s rival to the Humvee was, very like its American counterpart, initially designed for army use. A civilian model was launched in 1996 with Toyota billing it as a succesful all-terrain rescue automobile for businesses and emergency providers. A big variety of examples ended up doing obligation as ambulances or as mountain rescue vehicles, however loads of examples have been purchased by well-heeled homeowners as private automobiles.

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Formally, the Mega Cruiser was offered solely in Japan, nevertheless it was offered as a grey import in lots of different markets from Australia to Kazakhstan. The truck was removed from quick — its 4.1L turbodiesel engine churned out round 150 horsepower — nevertheless it was extremely succesful throughout virtually any terrain. An adjustable tire strain system helped it conquer snow and dirt, whereas its 16.5-inch floor clearance ensured that tough and rutted tracks have been no impediment.

Roughly 100 civilian examples of the Mega Cruiser have been reportedly produced between 1996 and 2001, all of which have been right-hand drive. With its six seats and a 1,650-pound cargo carrying capability, it stays in contrast to anything produced by Toyota earlier than or since. Given the present market’s penchant for large, over-engineered vehicles, it is also arguably ripe for a contemporary resurrection.

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The 2007 Toyota Auris was not a very fascinating automotive, though it birthed a uncommon Japan-only spin-off that is way more distinctive. The Blade was unveiled alongside the Auris as a extra upmarket sibling, with the 2 vehicles sharing a platform however the Blade that includes a bigger 2.4L engine and a fancier inside. At launch, it wasn’t notably outstanding, however then Toyota launched a warmer variant referred to as the Blade Grasp-G, with a 276 horsepower V6 engine borrowed from the Lexus IS.

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The Blade Grasp-G was examined at launch by Autocar, who reported that it felt nearer to a luxurious GT than a sizzling hatch. It was considerably quicker than an ordinary Blade and a world away from the uninteresting Auris, however its dealing with was clean moderately than sharp and it was designed extra for consolation than uncooked efficiency as a standard sizzling hatch can be.

It remained front-wheel-drive, like its on a regular basis counterparts, however regardless of that, the outlet reported solely minimal understeer. The Blade Grasp-G was by no means offered exterior of Japan, and that is comprehensible — it is unlikely most export markets would have discovered this area of interest sizzling hatch-GT mixture too interesting anyway.

[Featured image by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

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It may not seem like it, however hiding beneath the physique of this unusual Toyota is a Hilux pickup truck. The Toyota Traditional was launched in 1996 and was designed to pay homage to the AA, the automaker’s first passenger automotive, which had begun manufacturing precisely six many years earlier. The Hilux chassis was the closest modern platform in dimensions to that of the unique AA, and so Toyota determined to make use of it as the bottom for this limited-run particular.

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Solely 100 items of the automotive have been produced, with every one constructed by Toyota’s in-house coach-builder Technocraft. When it wasn’t busy churning out specials just like the Traditional, Technocraft was additionally liable for operating the model’s racing outfit TRD, and surprisingly sufficient, for its ambulance constructing program.

In addition to borrowing its chassis, the Traditional additionally borrowed the Hilux’s engine, a 2.0L four-cylinder making a bit underneath 100 horsepower. So, patrons definitely weren’t buying a Traditional for its efficiency, however as a substitute it was its retro-modern styling and upscale inside that gained them over. It is not identified precisely what number of survive right now, however a number of examples have been exported abroad within the years since its launch. One instance appeared at a Bonhams public sale within the UK and offered for £9,775 (roughly $16,000 on the time).

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Modellista is Toyota’s in-house modification division, having been first established as a Toyota subsidiary in 1997. It is not well-known exterior Japan, however has launched a sequence of restricted run particular version vehicles that take in style Toyota fashions and provides them distinctive bodywork, efficiency upgrades, or each. The Modellista VF130 was one of many division’s earlier works, being primarily based on the favored JDM FunCargo however with its entrance finish redesigned to seem like a Citroen 2CV.

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The FunCargo itself stays largely remarkable in export markets, regardless of being in style on the time of its launch in Japan. It offered 350,000 items throughout its manufacturing and was primarily based on the Vitz/Yaris. An export model of the FunCargo was marketed because the Yaris Verso in some European markets. In distinction to the excessive gross sales of the common FunCargo, the Modellista VF130 was reportedly restricted to only 350 items. Examples sometimes seem on the market in Japan, however there aren’t any examples identified to have been exported exterior of its residence market so far.

[Featured image by Tennen-Gas via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

A principally unknown sibling of the Celica, the Toyota Curren fell sufferer to ’90s Japan’s crowded coupe market. It was offered solely in Japan and was intently associated to the export market Celica coupe, being virtually mechanically similar. Nevertheless, the Curren provided a extra grown-up, understated exterior design, with the skinny headlamps being essentially the most notable distinction. In keeping with a press launch from its launch, Toyota thought the Curren would appeal to younger drivers, with the model aiming to promote round 2,000 examples per thirty days.

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Nevertheless, this determine would show to be too optimistic, with gross sales figures throughout the automotive’s 4 12 months lifespan reportedly solely totalling round 40,000. It appears Japanese patrons merely ignored it in favor of the numerous different choices available on the market, with Toyota’s rivals like Honda, Mazda, and Nissan all having their very own related opponents. Among the many most profitable was the Honda Prelude, which was in its fourth technology by the point the Curren was launched. Right now, the automotive stays available on the Japanese used market, however largely unheard exterior of the nation.

[Featured image by Qurren via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

Not like the opposite vehicles right here, the Toyota TS020 GT-One was by no means designed for the highway in any respect, no less than not primarily. In reality, the one cause that one instance ended up carrying a license plate was that homologation necessities demanded {that a} roadgoing model of each Le Mans GT1 entry be constructed.

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Studies differ over whether or not one or two road-legal examples have been constructed, however just one gained a license plate in Toyota Motorsport Europe’s residence nation of Germany. It is identified by its plate quantity, Okay-LM 1998. Toyota needed to give you some artistic methods to fulfill the homologation rules, with one of many trickiest issues being that the foundations acknowledged {that a} automotive needed to have storage room for no less than one suitcase. Nevertheless, they did not specify the place that room needed to be, so Toyota efficiently argued that the automotive’s gas tank may technically home a suitcase.

The remainder of the automotive was rapidly assembled with varied switchgear from Toyota’s components bin, and was not in a state to be publicly offered. It might prove that it by no means wanted to be — earlier than Toyota ever acquired round to placing it on sale, the governing physique in control of Le Mans modified its homologation guidelines, making the road-going GT-One redundant. It remained in storage at Toyota’s European motorsport facility for a number of many years, however was just lately recommissioned and exhibited on the Louwman Museum within the Netherlands in 2024.

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To rejoice making 100 million vehicles in Japan, Toyota unveiled the Origin, a retro-modern luxurious automotive that mixed a recent powertrain and tech with traditional appears to be like. It was assembled by the identical technicians that often produced the Century, Toyota’s Rolls-Royce-rivaling limousine. The automotive was styled to seem like the primary technology Crown, which launched in 1955, a full 45 years previous to the launch of the Origin.

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Just one,000 items of the automotive have been constructed and, like most of the obscure vehicles right here, it was solely offered in Japan. Toyota handled the automotive to the identical conventional lacquering strategies used for the Century’s paintwork, which gave it a smoother, extra reflective end than mass-produced fashions. The inside was equally luxurious, with plush leather-based and wonderful wooden trim used all through the cabin. Beneath the hood sat a BEAMS 2JZ-GE, making 212 horsepower and mated to an automated transmission.

Examples will be readily discovered on the used market in Japan, however due to their luxurious and rarity, they command considerably larger costs than most different Toyotas of their age. Probably the most pristine examples command costs in extra of $100,000, though most examples price lower than half that determine.

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[Featured image by Tokumeigakarinoaoshima via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Japan’s densely populated cities imply that giant, highly effective vehicles will not be essential for residents residing in city areas. As an alternative, kei vehicles stay a well-liked answer, and lately, sure traditional kei vehicles have turn out to be more and more in style with collectors exterior of Japan. Toyota’s C+Pod is even smaller than most kei vehicles, with its inside being simply 43 inches extensive. That is nearly sufficient room for 2 seats, with solely a token quantity of cargo area obtainable behind them.

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The C+pod is electrical and boasts a spread of round 93 miles, which is lots to cope with Japanese metropolis commutes and grocery runs. The automotive is proscribed to 37 mph to extend that vary — once more not a difficulty in congested metropolis facilities, however too gradual to make it viable to drive elsewhere. In keeping with the model, it is focused at two principal teams: “younger, single new drivers, or older people who could also be nervous about driving.” Toyota launched the automotive for public sale in 2021 after initially trialing it with company shoppers at a worth of simply 1.65 million Yen (round $11,300).

On the Tokyo Auto Salon in 2019, Toyota unveiled a 314 horsepower V6 sports activities sedan with a six pace handbook and rear-wheel-drive — then, a lot to the annoyance of lovers globally, confirmed it might solely be obtainable in Japan. It is the sort of efficiency sedan that may possible be very fashionable throughout America, Europe, and elsewhere, however just about no-one exterior of Japan will ever get to drive one, for the reason that automotive was restricted to only 350 items.

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The Mark X GRMN is a sportier model of the long-running JDM Mark X sedan, with a stiffer chassis and efficiency suspension in addition to an influence increase over the usual mannequin. It boasts 19-inch BBS wheels and an elective carbon fiber roof panel, whereas delicate exterior accents just like the rear wing and new bumpers let passersby know that is no common Toyota sedan. At a worth of 5.13 million Yen (round $47,000 on the time), the Mark X GRMN was costlier than an ordinary Mark X, however nonetheless inexpensive by American market requirements. Examples will be discovered on the used market, however they typically listing with asking costs larger than their unique retail worth.

Toyota’s first mass-produced hydrogen automotive was the Mirai, however earlier than that, the automaker constructed a small variety of hydrogen-powered SUVs that most individuals could have forgotten about — in the event that they ever knew they existed in any respect. The Toyota FCHV-adv’s identify would possibly seem like a cat trod on a keyboard, nevertheless it describes the automotive’s place in Toyota’s hydrogen historical past. FCHV stands for Gas Cell Hybrid Car, and because it was an evolution of the unique Toyota hydrogen SUV prototypes, it was “superior,” therefore “adv.”

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Round 100 examples of the automotive have been constructed and leased out in California and New York, alongside a small quantity in Japan, with the intention being that information gathered from these early automobiles would assist form a future mass-produced mannequin. That mannequin would transform the Mirai, which was launched in 2014, 4 years after the FCHV-adv. The manufacturing Mirai would find yourself having a shorter vary than the FCHV-adv – round 400 miles in comparison with the latter’s 515 miles — however was in a position to make use of a a lot smaller tank due to Toyota’s advances in energy output density.

[Featured image by Comyu via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

To drum up curiosity in its newly launched Harrier crossover — higher identified in export markets because the Lexus RX — Toyota commissioned Zagato to design a physique equipment for the automotive which might be restricted to 250 items. The consequence was the Harrier Zagato, which was offered by Toyopet dealerships and featured just about each choice obtainable on the Harrier. The crossover’s 220 horsepower 3.0L V6 engine was fitted to every instance, alongside lowered suspension and a wider observe to enhance dealing with.

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Most examples remained in Japan, however a number of have escaped over time and a number of other examples are identified to reside within the UK. One has additionally made its method over to the USA, because it’s now sufficiently old to be imported underneath the 25-year rule. Toyota later revived the partnership with Zagato for one more version of the Harrier Zagato in 2006. The newer mannequin featured a much less outlandish physique equipment however was equally uncommon, with 250 examples being produced for the Japanese market solely.