Three years ago (June 2020), Prado announced its delisting due to increasingly stringent emission regulations. In the three years of his regrettable absence, many off-road upstarts have appeared, especially opened up the market segment of "new energy off-road", and emerged such as Yangwang, Equation Leopard, Warrior and Tank and other "popular fried chicken".
Some people say that 2024 will be the most brutal year for new energy off-road and traditional off-road, and at that time, independent brands will once again seize their hard-core off-road market like they have grabbed the share of joint venture brands in the SUV and MPV market. However, in the author's opinion, this conclusion is premature.
First of all, after all, hard-core off-road is different from the family car market, because of the uniqueness of its driving scene, it puts forward higher technical issues for automobile companies, which are not only limited to technical difficulties such as power and performance in the era of fuel vehicles, but also include technical challenges such as battery safety and energy replenishment in the new energy era.
Even Liu Yanzhao, CEO of the tank brand that has continued to dominate the list of China's hard-core off-road market in the past two years, emphasized very humbly in an interview with **, including the author: "In the face of market growth, we must restrain the desire in our hearts and adhere to quality control, only in this way can we cope with the comeback of international manufacturers." ”
Liu Yanzhao sees the comeback of international manufacturers, including the Chinese debut of the Guangzhou Auto Show, and the all-new Prado, which will be introduced into FAW Toyota's channels from next year and open for pre-order after the Spring Festival. Whether this classic model, which is regarded as the ceiling by off-road fans around the world, can continue to write a legend after its return is probably the most feared thing for off-road rookies.
There will be more and more entrants, but it doesn't matter, let's do our own thing first. In the face of the comeback of international manufacturers, Wang Jiong, deputy general manager & chief brand officer of Mengshi Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. and general manager of Mengshi Automobile Sales Service, admitted in an interview with the author that in the final analysis, it is necessary to return to the underlying logic, consumers will only pay when they are worth the money and the price is trustworthy, and in the end it depends on whether the product can impress and convince consumers.
It seems that independent brands have a very sober and rational understanding in the face of the hard-core off-road "return of the king", they are not blindly optimistic, but are actively looking for solutions suitable for themselves. So, why does the new Prado attract great attention in the industry?Why can it become the object of many off-road upstarts competing for "comparison"?
For more than 70 years, the Land Cruiser Prado series has been the world-renowned "off-road king", selling well in about 170 countries and regions around the world with its strength, and dominates the world's top races all year round.
Since the Dakar Rally in 1978, the Land Cruiser line has been a favorite of drivers in the T2 production class. In 2005, the Toyota TLC team finished in the top threeFrom 2010 to 2012, Toyota TLC Team achieved its first triple championshipSince 2014, the Toyota TLC team has won ten consecutive championships.
In short, the Land Cruiser line is either on the way to winning the championship. As one of the fierce generals, Prado has always been the darling of the hard-core off-road market, and has been officially introduced into the Chinese market since 2003, and has since become the "king of four-wheel drive" in the hearts of the Chinese people. The world's largest underground mine work vehicle, the African Red Cross rescue work vehicle, the Chinese Academy of Sciences-Northern Xinjiang scientific expedition team, and the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft support vehicle ......It is also a word of mouth that the slogan of "there is no way to have Prado".
Now, the new Prado "Strong" is back, once again awakening the blood of domestic off-road fans. "As early as when the new Prado has not yet announced any product information, there are many consumers who are interested in the ** consultation, we have received more than ten orders, I believe that the new Prado will become a hit. Chai Liang, general manager of Beijing Aojia Toyota Motor Sales and Service, the first and only Toyota third-generation standard 4S store in Beijing, said in an interview with the author before the Guangzhou Auto Show that although the demand for automobile consumption is constantly changing, what remains unchanged is the trust of consumers in the high quality, high durability and high reliability of classic models under Toyota's TPS lean production and QDR standards.
Secondly, there are almost no classic hard-core off-road models that can maintain a long cycle of more than seven or eight years among independent brands, and most of them rely on a few hot-selling products to maintain a short cycle of three or four years. In fact, not only products, but also many brands are short-cycled, "Some of the electric car brands I saw at the booth a few years ago are no longer visible this year, and those names that were once very lively seem to have disappeared overnight." Some consumers sighed after visiting the Guangzhou Auto Show.
In 2022, Toyota's global sales will be 10.43 million units, ranking first in global automobile sales for three consecutive yearsIn the first half of 2023, its global sales will reach 5.41 million units, continuing to rank first among global car companies, which is the confidence of the return of the all-new Prado. In fact, the car companies that can give birth to long-cycle products are supported by strong and continuously leading core technologies.
For example, with the i-VTEC technology, Honda has been strong in the Chinese market since 2002 until 2010With TSI+DSG's advanced powertrain technology, Volkswagen has been selling well since 2011 until 2019With the TNGA architecture, Toyota has achieved high growth in China for eight consecutive years since 2015, and has maintained its market advantage to this day.
It is undeniable that many independent brand off-road players have established their own technical fortresses, such as BYD's DMO super hybrid off-road platform and off-road exclusive CTC battery chassis integration technology, Great Wall Motor's off-road super hybrid architecture Hi4-T and Dongfeng Motor's MORA Mengshi skateboard off-road platform, etc., but Toyota's GA-F platform is more well-known.
Taking the all-new Prado as an example, the car uses the same GA-F platform as the Land Cruiser 300 flagship series, which greatly improves the passability on rough roads: the non-load-bearing body structure increases the body rigidity by 30%, and the frame rigidity is increased by 50%, which can maintain a stable body posture in any road conditions;For the first time, it is equipped with EPS electronic power steering and SDM stabilizer bar separation, the latter of which is the first of its kind in Toyota, and takes into account handling, passability and ride comfort in different scenariosIt is equipped with **S adaptive variable suspension system and the new MTS multi-terrain optional driver assistance system, which supports 6 professional driving modes.
Perhaps for this year's Guangzhou Auto Show, most of the first-class reporting angles are: how the CEOs of foreign-funded car companies hold the information, open their eyes wide and have a very dignified expression to visit the booth of their own brands, and a sense of pride of "the east wind overpowers the west wind" arises spontaneously.
But in fact, independent brands are not king-level in all segments, at least in the hard-core off-road market, compared with the Toyota Land Cruiser global cumulative sales of more than 11.3 million, the highest cumulative sales of hard-core off-road in the independent brand is only more than 300,000 units, which is only a fraction of the Toyota Land Cruiser car series.
Another example is the Defender brand, which has 2 million customers, and 60% of its classic cars are still on the road. In the face of the continuous influx of off-road players, Wu Chen, president of Jaguar Land Rover China and Chery Jaguar Land Rover Joint Marketing Sales and Service Organization, said without any worry: "There are many things that can be learned, but there are some things in the bones that opponents can't learn, and they can't catch up in just a few years." The implication is that if you want to achieve the totem of hard-core off-road, you must see if the brand is hard enough, and whether the product is hard enough.
Brand power is naturally a short board for rising stars. According to official information, the new Prado is larger than the old body, with a length of 4920mm, a width of 1980mm, a height of 1860mm and a wheelbase of 2850mm, an increase of 95mm, 95mm, 10mm and 60mm respectively, and the size of the vehicle is almost the same as that of the Land Cruiser 200 model.
In addition, in terms of appearance, the all-new Prado presents a tough appearance with the characteristics of the Land Cruiser series, and provides two options: round light front face and rectangular front face, which can meet the personalized car needs of different users. Among them, the round front face reveals a strong retro atmosphere in the classics;The rectangular front face boldly exudes a strong hard-core off-road style.
The biggest competitive advantage is reflected in the power, the global Prado is equipped with the "strongest power" system - 2The 4T super hybrid system has off-road performance, all-range acceleration performance and environmental performanceIt is matched with a Direct Shift-8AT gearbox, with a maximum power of 243kW and a maximum torque of 630N·mThe full-time four-wheel drive system of the Torsen limited-slip** differential + electronically controlled mechanical rear axle differential lock guides strong torque to the ground at all times.
The journey of exploring the world is usually a journey accompanied by loneliness, and the most trustworthy thing is only the car owner. The all-new Prado is equipped with the latest generation of T-Pilot intelligent driver assistance system, which is resistant to breakage and easy repair, in addition to a functional body layout that enables the safe transport of people and goods in any situationAnd in terms of intelligence, the all-new Prado is not afraid of competing products, and the Toyota Space intelligent cockpit covers multiple scenarios such as life, entertainment and travel.
It can be said that the all-new Prado has raised the level of hardcore off-road manufacturing once again in terms of design, power and platform. With its strong comeback, FAW Toyota has a complete product matrix from small SUVs and compact city SUVs, to medium and large SUVs, to luxury hard-core off-road.
Up to now, FAW Toyota has Toyota's high-end flagship "Crown series", the "SUV series" led by the all-new Prado, the global sales champion "Corolla series", and the locally developed "BZ pure electric series". And in 2024, the all-new Crown, the all-new Prado and the BZ Sport Crossover Concept will also be launched one after another, which means that Chinese users can find their favorite products through FAW Toyota no matter what they need.