Toyota plans to expand its product portfolio to around 70 models globally by 2025. That number will include 15 new battery electric vehicles, seven of which will be bZ models. Toyota says “bZ” stands for beyond zero. Toyota has also confirmed that it intends to bring electrification to its truck line-up, including hybrid and fully electric powertrains.

The Toyota bZ4X was jointly developed with Subaru and is built on the new e-TNGA BEV dedicated platform. Toyota promises the concept will integrate its legendary quality, durability, and long-term reliability combined with the all-wheel-drive capability that Subaru was known for. The vehicle has a long wheelbase with short overhangs creating a distinctive design with lots of interior space.

The interior is an open-concept design meant to enhance driver comfort and confidence on the road. Toyota says that every detail of the vehicle was purposefully engineered, including the location of the gauges above the steering wheel to give the vehicle a sense of space while helping to increase visibility for safe and secure driving.

The Toyota bZ4X will be built in Japan and China. Toyota aims to begin global sales of the model by the middle of 2022. The vehicle is certainly very attractive inside and out. Big mysteries remain about the EV. Namely, Toyota does not indicate driving range, charge time, pricing, or performance.

On the local front, Toyota South Africa Motors has not detailed any plans of an all-electric rollout, sighting expansion of its hybrid portfolio for the time being.

For 2021, the Prius has been outfitted with some notable upgrades and enhancements to align with other Toyota models. Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) has been adopted, bringing with it an array of safety aids in the form of a Pre-Crash System (PCS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automatic High Beam (AHB), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) plus Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Lane Trace Assist (LTA).

The Adaptive Cruise Control and Blind Spot Monitor functions can be reached quickly via dedicated steering switches – allowing the driver to activate/de-activate and adjust sensitivity levels.

The obligatory ABS, EBD, Brake Assist and VSC functions are included too.

Step inside and you’ll se that the touchscreen infotainment system has been updated to include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while also benefitting from a higher-resolution display. There’s also the Heads-Up Display (HUD), Reverse Camera, high-definition Multi-Information Display, seat heaters with electric lumbar support and wireless (cellphone) charging. Dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror ramp up the convenience quotient.

The core USB, Aux and Bluetooth functionality remains – while playing through a high-quality six-speaker setup. Toyota Connect is fitted as standard – offering in-car Wi-Fi connectivity with a complimentary 15Gb of data – and telematics interface with the MyToyota app.

The 2021 Toyota Prius 1.8 is priced at R566 400.

However, specific details are scarce at the moment, but we do know a thing or two about Toyota’s newest high-riding Corolla. For starters, the Corolla Cross is underpinned by the Toyota New Global Architecture platform, or TNGA-C to be specific. It’s the same chassis underneath the Toyota Prius, CH-R crossover, Lexus UX, and of course, the new Corolla sedan and hatchback.

Right off the bat, the new Corolla Cross eerily resembles the Mazda CX-5 with its gaping front grille and slim headlight design. Unsurprisingly, the Corolla Cross shares the same 2,640mm wheelbase as the CH-R, but it slots nicely in between the CH-R and RAV4 in terms of overall size.

Toyota’s newest Corolla Cross measures 4,460mm in length and is 1,825mm (71.9-inches) wide. The Cross is wider, but a standard Corolla sedan is longer and has a longer wheelbase in this regard.

But since we’re talking about a crossover, the new Corolla Cross is marginally taller at 1,620mm compared to the sedan version. Despite being shorter than a Corolla sedan, Toyota promises a spacious interior, class-leading luggage space, and enhanced practicality.

The biggest news of course is that Toyota pledged to invest R2.43 billion in the production of this Corolla Cross in both right- and left-hand drive for South Africa and the rest of Africa – in Durban.

So, what do you think? Do you fancy the new Toyota Corolla Cross?

Like so many cars these days, the Corolla’s dimensions have increased over its multiple iterations. Toyota has sharpened the styling, too, and it’s really not a bad looking vehicle: the dark blue paint job contrasts well with the chrome and gloss black plastic. I like the honeycomb grill and the fact that Toyota gives you LEDs for both the daytime running lights and the low-beams. Those J-shaped bi-beam LED headlamps really give the car a distinctive look.

As a car for daily puttering it ticks the right boxes. Toyota fits it’s experienced 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine under the bonnet of our test XR model, with 125kW of power and 200Nm of torque. There’s both a CVT and a six-speed manual transmission, too, the latter having downshift rev-matching.

Things get less pleasant when you lean on the accelerator. The Corolla doesn’t lack speed, it’s 2.0 litres not reliant on the potentially-laggardly contributions of a turbocharger, but it’s soundtrack leaves much to be desired. Rough and faintly agricultural when pressed, rising and falling with the drunken glissando of the CVT, the engine note does more to encourage laid-back, economical driving than either rising petrol prices or weeping polar bears on shrinking icebergs ever could.

It’s a sharpened dagger to the heart when you consider the competition. Honda’s latest Civic, in 1.8-litre turbo form, is a gem of a car, it’s engine several leaps ahead of Toyota’s in refinement. The Civic gets better fuel economy, too, at least on paper.

Sport mode, I found, made the CVT more jumpy, though the Corolla is at least willing to rev all the way to its 6000 red line. Taking charge with the paddles – at which point the transmission feigns six traditional gears – avoids the hunting, and though its power won’t set your hair alight, the Toyota proved predicable in the corners as long as I ignored the body roll.

The Civic has a more salubrious interior, too, Toyota’s proving heavy on black and grey plastic, a sombre colour scheme only emphasised by the high, cliff-like slab that is the dashboard. There’s a little soft-touch plastic, and the steering wheel is leather-wrapped, but too many of the points at which your fingers naturally fall are hard and unforgiving.

In its favour, Toyota’s big buttons and clear display for the cockpit are easily navigated, and though it gets a large 7-inch touchscreen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The leather seats are comfortable and supportive, and there’s a surprising amount of rear legroom and boot space, despite this being a sedan not a hatchback.

Toyota buyers that weren’t expecting much in the way of technology or driver-assistance from the Corolla, are in for a surprise. Assistance tech includes adaptive cruise control, and all 2020 Corolla sedan trims get Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 on this very same XR model. That includes pre-collision brake assistance, lane departure alerts with steering assistance, and – on CVT cars – lane tracing assistance to keep the car in the center of the lane. Automatic high beam lighting is included, too, as is road sign assistance. Blind spot monitoring is optional.

In fact, beyond the infotainment upgrade, the only option not ticked ticked our sampler is the tilt/slide moonroof.

I suspect Corolla fans find much to appreciate in this latest model. It’s solid and predictable; the interior is spacious and the dark trim hides stains and dirt well, whether from pets or kids. It won’t shock or confuse; Toyota’s technology is tried and tested

Lingering in its favour is Toyota’s near-bulletproof reputation for reliability and its crisp, handsome appearance, just don’t expect too much in the way of fun as you cover the hundreds of thousands of complaint-free journeys the Corolla is undoubtedly capable of.

Tshegofatso Harmonix Phiri contributed his legendary photography work to this review.

THUMS was designed to aid vehicle safety technology research and development and was developed in cooperation with Toyota Central R&D Labs. The software was the world’s first virtual human body model software when it launched in 2000. It allowed the simulation analysis of injuries caused by vehicle collisions.

The latest version of the software is Version 6 and was released last year. Toyota has continually evolved the software, adding a new range of models with different genders, ages, and physiques. The models in the software include skeletal systems, brains, internal organs, and muscles. THUMS can analyse collision-related injuries in more detail than physical crash dummies because it precisely models the shapes and durability of human bodies.

Toyota says that it’s THUMS software is currently used by over 100 vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, universities, research institutions, and others in Japan and markets such as ours. Making the software freely available will allow more people to use it in vehicle safety research and improve the usability of the software as other users are allowed to make improvements to the model and share it with others.

Toyota says that software license sales through JSOL Corporation and ESI Group will come to an end in 2020. The latest version of the software features both pedestrian and occupant models, including those of children, males, and females.

The 2021 Toyota Hilux further cements its image of invincibility and indestructibility with a daring new face. It has a more powerful three-dimensional grille and a chunkier front bumper. Toyota installed new front and rear LED light clusters for a dose of modernity while new 18-inch dark-finished alloy wheels give the Hilux a meaner and more purposeful stance.

Along with the styling upgrade comes a new and upgraded motor with more power, more torque, and better fuel economy. The 2021 Hilux is powered by an updated 2.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel mill. The engine is paired with either a six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission.

According to Toyota, the new diesel has a lower idling speed (down to 680 rpm from the previous 780 rpm) to save fuel. In other markets, the new Hilux is also offered with a smaller 2.4-liter diesel with less power than the new motor. Buyers get to choose from standard RWD or an all-wheel drivetrain.

Our biggest caveat with the previous Hilux is the stiff and fidgety ride quality. Apparently, Toyota heard our complaints. The 2021 Hilux is now equipped with long-travel shock absorbers and updated leaf springs for a more civilized and comfier ride. We haven’t driven it yet, but we’re itching to find out if the new suspension is worthy of praise.

Minor interior updates include a revised 8-inch infotainment touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay. Given current models gracing our showrooms, we expect models to be available in Extra Cab and Double Cab variants with leather seats, door trim illumination, and metallic black chrome interior accents.Upper trim models receive Toyota Safety Sense including lane departure warning, dynamic radar cruise control, and pre-collision assist.

The 2021 Toyota Hilux will go on sale in Europe by July and October. Asian markets can expect the new Hilux to arrive in Toyota showrooms later this month. Local availability and model specifications is yet to be announced.

Lexus’ new LX 570 is completely redesigned for 2016 with only the door panels carried over from the 2015 model. The car is fitted with a 4.5 litre V8 punching out 195 kW and a stout 650 Nm of torque available from 1600 rpm onwards which is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission while its 5.7L V8 engine has an 8-speed transmission. Drive Select Mode allows the driver to tailor powertrain and suspension settings using a dial on the console to settings for whatever they are doing. ECO, comfort, and sport modes are included.

For 2016, both the LX 450 & 570 get a panoramic view camera that can help with hitching and maneuvering a trailer and to view terrain when off-roading. Some of the biggest upgrades come in the safety features offered.

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For 2016, the LX 570 gets a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, intelligent high beam, and all-speed dynamic radar cruise control. The cruise control system is so effective you can set a distance you want to be from the vehicle in front and the cruise maintains that distance at all speeds. It will even smoothly slow down when a car is merging onto the road in front of you. Lexus also gives the SUV blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. Pricing? Ha! These bad boys will set you back figures sub of a million, with the 450d  coming in at R 1 393 000  and the at LX 570 – R 1 435 100. 

While Lexus says the LF-FC gives a peek into the design and technology we might see from the brand’s flagship, the luxe Japanese automaker’s president, Tokuo Fukuichi says its not very far out.

It looks like a longer than a limo in person, it boasts the new “L-finesse” design language, this car is meant to be a grand tourer. With its timing, perhaps a replacement for — or the next-gen — Lexus LS?

An evolved version of the Lexus grille, with a new mesh design dominates the front end, with L-shaped daytime running lights complimenting the aesthetic. 21-inch wheels and carbon-fiber reinforced plastic rims gives the sedan presence, if its insane proportions didn’t already. Interestingly, Lexus is showing off the concept powered by a fuel-cell system that sends power to the rear wheels, while also sending power to two in-wheel motors in the front, making it all-wheel drive. The hydrogen fuel tanks are placed in the rear for optimal weight balance.

As to be expected from any new concept, the Lexus LF-FC boasts automated driving technologies, though we’re unsure how advanced those would be on the production car. We’ll be hounding Lexus product planners and execs for more; stay tuned.