Japanese Car News

[iRage]

6 hours ago, Devinda_Z said:

@iRage do we get to blame Toyota for this as well?

The Subaru a lot of enthusiasts are so fond of doesn't exist anymore

I don't think so....you have to blame the Japanese public for it....sedans simply do not sell....even the Crown, Corolla, Mark X, Teana, Fuga, , Lexus sedans, etc...are all not selling. Basically..people are not buying cars, and of those who do buy cars..not many people are finding sedans useful anymore. Almost everyone buys kei cars or smaller hatches, especially those that are Hybrid. Then those with families buy minivans or crossovers, so the sedan is not the most practical of family vehicles in this modern day and age as it did in the past. Lesser space, less versatility, etc...

Most sedan sales apparently are fleet sales for companies, taxis and rental companies. Followed on by older couples (pressumably those who have grown up kids who have moved out maybe ?).  The younger families who are in to  purchasing a sporty sedans purchase might go for somehting like a Lexus IS (true not as sporty as a Subaru) because of the hybrid options , support network and also the Lexus brand image. So the segment looking for sporty sedans specidifically for a brand new Subaru, is quite small.

 

[Devinda_Z]

8 hours ago, iRage said:

I don't think so....you have to blame the Japanese public for it....sedans simply do not sell....even the Crown, Corolla, Mark X, Teana, Fuga, , Lexus sedans, etc...are all not selling. Basically..people are not buying cars, and of those who do buy cars..not many people are finding sedans useful anymore. Almost everyone buys kei cars or smaller hatches, especially those that are Hybrid. Then those with families buy minivans or crossovers, so the sedan is not the most practical of family vehicles in this modern day and age as it did in the past. Lesser space, less versatility, etc...

Most sedan sales apparently are fleet sales for companies, taxis and rental companies. Followed on by older couples (pressumably those who have grown up kids who have moved out maybe ?).  The younger families who are in to  purchasing a sporty sedans purchase might go for somehting like a Lexus IS (true not as sporty as a Subaru) because of the hybrid options , support network and also the Lexus brand image. So the segment looking for sporty sedans specidifically for a brand new Subaru, is quite small.

 

Makes sense but what about how they've watered down the Forester over the past 2 generations?

Quality isn't what it used to be either

[iRage]

55 minutes ago, Devinda_Z said:

Makes sense but what about how they've watered down the Forester over the past 2 generations?

Quality isn't what it used to be either

I don't know....The Toyota Subaru partnership has been more about produt sharing and development outsourcing (Subaru developing ertain cars for Toyota and vice versa); so Toyota has not had a strong voice in Subaru's own portfolio development. In fact Toyota is jointly working on a rear-wheel drive car with Mazda. 

Subaru to be honest I do not feel is doing too well. They shared a lot of interior plastics, etc with Toyota and the quality difference is obvious when compared to the old school Subies.

As for the Forrester getting watered down...again..it is more about market I feel coupled with some self canibalizing products from Subaru...the turbo charged; sporty vehicles simply are not cutting it for the MASSES. It is getting rather expensive to own a pure gasoline vehicle inJapan right now and it is only oging to get worst. So people do opt for Hybrid and LEV options. Even the likes of the RAV4 and CRV took a bow out of the market in Japan until Hybrids and other fuel efficient variants came along. As for Subaru's own canibalization...well...they introduced the LeVorg....in fact every since the Levorg was around everything from the Forrester and the XV has not done well. Those who want a fun powerful ride (who would have been the Forester crowd) would have gone for the LeVorg which is actually an awesome car (if you do not want the off road feature).

Does Toyota have an effect on portfolio development ? Probably does..but then again none of these manufacturers can survive on their own because the market is shrinking. As much as we petrol heads hate to admit it..the reality is that people, epecially the younger generation, are moving away from cars and looking in to more hollistic, cost-effective and integrated transport solutions. Speciality cars  sdaly do not fit in to that formular in Japan (and slowly in other places of the world). 

[Devinda_Z]

19 hours ago, iRage said:

I don't know....The Toyota Subaru partnership has been more about produt sharing and development outsourcing (Subaru developing ertain cars for Toyota and vice versa); so Toyota has not had a strong voice in Subaru's own portfolio development. In fact Toyota is jointly working on a rear-wheel drive car with Mazda. 

Subaru to be honest I do not feel is doing too well. They shared a lot of interior plastics, etc with Toyota and the quality difference is obvious when compared to the old school Subies.

As for the Forrester getting watered down...again..it is more about market I feel coupled with some self canibalizing products from Subaru...the turbo charged; sporty vehicles simply are not cutting it for the MASSES. It is getting rather expensive to own a pure gasoline vehicle inJapan right now and it is only oging to get worst. So people do opt for Hybrid and LEV options. Even the likes of the RAV4 and CRV took a bow out of the market in Japan until Hybrids and other fuel efficient variants came along. As for Subaru's own canibalization...well...they introduced the LeVorg....in fact every since the Levorg was around everything from the Forrester and the XV has not done well. Those who want a fun powerful ride (who would have been the Forester crowd) would have gone for the LeVorg which is actually an awesome car (if you do not want the off road feature).

Does Toyota have an effect on portfolio development ? Probably does..but then again none of these manufacturers can survive on their own because the market is shrinking. As much as we petrol heads hate to admit it..the reality is that people, epecially the younger generation, are moving away from cars and looking in to more hollistic, cost-effective and integrated transport solutions. Speciality cars  sdaly do not fit in to that formular in Japan (and slowly in other places of the world). 

I know you're right @iRage but it is sad to see what Subaru has become from it was as a relatively small volume manufacture making some really solid drivers cars for people with real world needs to just another random car maker?

[iRage]

Yaris Cross

This has been buzzing around since the release of the Yaris. It was supposed to unveiled at teh Geneva Motorshow but since that got cancelled some wierd web announcement took place.

It looks nothing like the Yaris from outside but the platform and a lot of the interior components are shared. It will have the same 1.5L Hybrid and Gasoline engine choices as the Yaris and will be available in either FF or AWD guise. It is supposed to go to market in late Spring 2021 in Europe followed on by Japan. The variant for Japan will be assembled in Japan whilst the European spec model will be assembled in France.

The dimensions are 4,180mm(L) x 1,765mm(W) x 1,560mm(H), so it is longer and wider than the Raize but shorter than the Raize, but shorter in length, narrower and shorter in hieght than the CH-R (and Vezel). Interstingly the word is that it is supposed to compete againt the Vezel and the Vitara and Fit Cross ( I can't see how the Vezel got in there). There is word that there will be an equivelant Lexus variant as well.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by iRage

[matroska]

loaded AL forum expecting to find this bit of news from @iRage and as usual not disappointed ? 

[Kavvz]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

Yaris Cross

....

It looks nothing like the Yaris from outside but the platform and a lot of the interior components are shared. It will have the same 1.5L Hybrid and Gasoline engine choices as the Yaris and will be available in either FF or AWD guise.

 Its a great looking car, / crossover. I kinda like it despite always being a partial towards a Hoda Vesi the Honda Vezel this looks great inside and out. I guess cars in the the small SUV segment are selling well as everyone is pilling in; while the 'hot hatch' category is virtually dead. I guess the small crossovers are the 'hot-hatches' of modern times then?  

 

 

[iRage]

13 minutes ago, Kavvz said:

 

Could be....but cannot exactly put aside the hatches as well..the new Fit and yaris are doing pretty well..and ironically so is the Aqua.

You see quite a few Fits around now...but not the Yaris (still a very few of those). Deleivery of both models seem to be hampered by the COVID-19 closures.

Just waiting to go get a few test drives. As for the Fit...It does have some back to basic design ques with a rather retro looking interior. The power options are either a 1.5 e-HEV or a 1.3 Gasoline variant.  Whilst the standard variants are there (HOME, NESS, LUXE) they also have a CrossStar which pretty much is a hatchback cross over variant of the Fit. However it is not as prominent in its crossover looks like the Yaris Cross. Infact it just looks like a raised hatchback like the Aqua urban. The sad news is Honda had decided to scrap the sporty RS variant and go with the CrossStar instead whilst making the NESS look youthful and exciting.

It kind of reminds me of the old Fiat Panda 4x4

The interior is from a HOME.

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by iRage

[Kavvz]

16 minutes ago, iRage said:

Could be....but cannot exactly put aside the hatches as well..the new Fit and yaris are doing pretty well..and ironically so is the Aqua.

You see quite a few Fits around now...but not the Yaris (still a very few of those). Deleivery of both models seem to be hampered by the COVID-19 closures.

Just waiting to go get a few test drives. As for the Fit...It does have some back to basic design ques with a rather retro looking interior. The power options are either a 1.5 e-HEV or a 1.3 Gasoline variant.  Whilst the standard variants are there (HOME, NESS, LUXE) they also have a CrossStar which pretty much is a hatchback cross over variant of the Fit. However it is not as prominent in its crossover looks like the Yaris Cross. Infact it just looks like a raised hatchback like the Aqua urban. The sad news is Honda had decided to scrap the sporty RS variant and go with the CrossStar instead whilst making the NESS look youthful and exciting.

It kind of reminds me of the old Fiat Panda 4x4

 

The interior is from a HOME.

Oof! Not a fan of those looks, and not digging the retro vibe, it just makes it look dated IMO. But then again, I was never a fan of the Fit. The proportions always looked a bit odd to me. (Even though the 2nd Gen. was a big improvement over the 1st Gen.) 

Also : "The interior is from a HOME"....as in? 

Edit: Sorry just figuared it out...its a model varient! Duh! Sorry, had no idea!

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Kavvz

[iRage]

Now...on to sadder news...

...this is what happens when a manufacurer is able to sell only 83 units of a car (in Japan in 2019).

 

The last of the sporty mid sized executive sedans from Toyota/Lexus comes to an end ???

The GS lineology follows up from the Aristo. Lexus claims the gap is filled by the IS and the new ES which physically is the same size as the GS (but it is far from it...the ES is a FWD, bargey dressed up Camry. Toyota also says its fine since the new Camry is sporty and youthful...no its NOT ! What the hell are you smoking ? You need to be a 150 year old fossil to think that the Crown is Sporty and be going thorugh a midlife crisis in denial to find the ES sporty.

 

If it wasnt for sedans like this..the world would ot have gotten engines like the 2JZ-GTE (infact all the JZ engines). The current motor world proves it...with all these wierd crossovers...we have lost sweet engines.

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by iRage

[Dee Jay]

13 hours ago, iRage said:

Yaris Cross

This has been buzzing around since the release of the Yaris. It was supposed to unveiled at teh Geneva Motorshow but since that got cancelled some wierd web announcement took place.

It looks nothing like the Yaris from outside but the platform and a lot of the interior components are shared. It will have the same 1.5L Hybrid and Gasoline engine choices as the Yaris and will be available in either FF or AWD guise. It is supposed to go to market in late Spring 2021 in Europe followed on by Japan. The variant for Japan will be assembled in Japan whilst the European spec model will be assembled in France.

The dimensions are 4,180mm(L) x 1,765mm(W) x 1,560mm(H), so it is longer and wider than the Raize but shorter than the Raize, but shorter in length, narrower and shorter in hieght than the CH-R (and Vezel). Interstingly the word is that it is supposed to compete againt the Vezel and the Vitara and Fit Cross ( I can't see how the Vezel got in there). There is word that there will be an equivelant Lexus variant as well.

 

 

@iRage is there any news of discontinuation of the Raize? Cause this seems more up market than the Raize and for me it makes no sense to have this, the Raize and the CHR and the Lexus variants of them as well. I feel they would eat each others market share (this could be just me though)

[iRage]

3 minutes ago, Dee Jay said:

@iRage is there any news of discontinuation of the Raize? Cause this seems more up market than the Raize and for me it makes no sense to have this, the Raize and the CHR and the Lexus variants of them as well. I feel they would eat each others market share (this could be just me though)

Not yet....for now it seems like they just want to capture a more upmarket small crossover fan base and position this between the Raize and the CHR. I am guessing it will be priced between 1.9mil to about 2.6/2.7 mil yen right in between the CHR and Raize. Also, I suppose this would be targetted more towards the more developed and refined export markets as part of Toyota's global model strategy. Lets not forget that the Raize is not available in most of the export markets and when it is..it is mostly a grey import.  

Also, by the time this hits the market the Razie will be 2-3 years old and time for a mid model refresh....and since it is a Daihatsu built model I suppose they really do not know how well that will go or if it should continue. 

As for Lexus and Toyota...typically whena model is released as a Toyota for a particular market the same car is not released as a Lexus. The only exception is probably the Lexus LX/GX and the Land Cruiser 200/Prado  where the Lexus variant is positioned as a high grade of the Toyota variant (with the new models that too is supposedly going ot change)

[Dee Jay]

8 minutes ago, iRage said:

Not yet....for now it seems like they just want to capture a more upmarket small crossover fan base and position this between the Raize and the CHR. I am guessing it will be priced between 1.9mil to about 2.6/2.7 mil yen right in between the CHR and Raize. Also, I suppose this would be targetted more towards the more developed and refined export markets as part of Toyota's global model strategy. Lets not forget that the Raize is not available in most of the export markets and when it is..it is mostly a grey import. 

Yes, that fits in nicely!

Btw, I saw in this article that Yaris Cross would be launched this year in Japan and next year in Europe. But, I guess with current Covid-19 situation things could get further delayed.

Sad to see Toyota going all out in the cross over segment and reducing the model line up when it comes to sporty sedans  

[iRage]

1 minute ago, Dee Jay said:

Yes, that fits in nicely!

Btw, I saw in this article that Yaris Cross would be launched this year in Japan and next year in Europe. But, I guess with current Covid-19 situation things could get further delayed.

Sad to see Toyota going all out in the cross over segment and reducing the model line up when it comes to sporty sedans  

Yeah...my bad...my bad for putting it in reverse. First in Japan followed on by Europe. But yes..delays might be happening. Even the Yaris is geting delayed apparently. 

[RWD]

3 hours ago, iRage said:

Now...on to sadder news...

...this is what happens when a manufacurer is able to sell only 83 units of a car (in Japan in 2019).

 

The last of the sporty mid sized executive sedans from Toyota/Lexus comes to an end ???

The GS lineology follows up from the Aristo. Lexus claims the gap is filled by the IS and the new ES which physically is the same size as the GS (but it is far from it...the ES is a FWD, bargey dressed up Camry. Toyota also says its fine since the new Camry is sporty and youthful...no its NOT ! What the hell are you smoking ? You need to be a 150 year old fossil to think that the Crown is Sporty and be going thorugh a midlife crisis in denial to find the ES sporty.

 

If it wasnt for sedans like this..the world would ot have gotten engines like the 2JZ-GTE (infact all the JZ engines). The current motor world proves it...with all these wierd crossovers...we have lost sweet engines.

 

Oh no. First the Mark X and now this. Have always had a soft spot for the GS. There are a couple of the new gens around town and they look so neat with that F sport trim.

[Gummybr]

Nissan is coming up with a SUV for India called the Magnite with a 1.0l engine. Looks like something ideal for our market.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-news/nissan-magnite-what-to-expect-417164

 

Well it is a fresh breath of air for a company looking down the barrel. Might not be a good looker but definitely a seller if the price remains as per the article. This could make the upcoming Z400 / Fairlady a reality after all.

[iRage]

3 hours ago, Gummybr said:

Nissan is coming up with a SUV for India called the Magnite with a 1.0l engine. Looks like something ideal for our market.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-news/nissan-magnite-what-to-expect-417164

 

Well it is a fresh breath of air for a company looking down the barrel. Might not be a good looker but definitely a seller if the price remains as per the article. This could make the upcoming Z400 / Fairlady a reality after all.

So is it a more localized version of the Kix ?

[Kavvz]

6 hours ago, Gummybr said:

Nissan is coming up with a SUV for India called the Magnite with a 1.0l engine. Looks like something ideal for our market.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-news/nissan-magnite-what-to-expect-417164

Well it is a fresh breath of air for a company looking down the barrel. Might not be a good looker but definitely a seller if the price remains as per the article. This could make the upcoming Z400 / Fairlady a reality after all.

I like the sound of it plus the promised extra options: " Nissan will pack the Magnite to the hilt with equipment, some of it from a segment above, like a 360-degree parking camera."  But the million dollar question will be: Is the CVT gearbox going to hold up!  

(Jokes aside, it sounds promising, and its in a hot segment, so as long as the agents bring down the 5-speed manual this might work out well. Also given that its a low-torque engine in a relatively light car, the CVT might also be a decent option  )

Edited May 11, 2020 by Kavvz

[fiat fan]

Any idea when the HRV/Vezel will be updated to a fresh design? 8 years of that misery already urghhh

[iRage]

9 hours ago, Kavvz said:

(Jokes aside, it sounds promising, and its in a hot segment, so as long as the agents bring down the 5-speed manual this might work out well. Also given that its a low-torque engine in a relatively light car, the CVT might also be a decent option  )

Do the masses even know how to drive a manual these days ? Bringing down a manual might serve only a small crowd. So, I feel the local agents might focus more on the CVT variant with the manual only as a special order ?

 

2 hours ago, fiat fan said:

Any idea when the HRV/Vezel will be updated to a fresh design? 8 years of that misery already urghhh

Around the time the Fit was launched, and then earlier this year, they said there will be a new Vezel in 2021. Whether that means we will see the new one later this year or early next year is still not known. They also confirmed that the Vezel will continue to be based on the Fit.

[Gummybr]

16 hours ago, iRage said:

So is it a more localized version of the Kix ?

Kix / kicks is already in the Indian market. They say that it was not popular and this will be built specifically for the Indian market.

[iRage]

15 minutes ago, Gummybr said:

Kix / kicks is already in the Indian market. They say that it was not popular and this will be built specifically for the Indian market.

To be honest...I feel the Indian consumers are being very..uhh..cheap about it. The car is barely larger as a Suzuki Brezza or any of the other Tata Crossovers...so size cannot be an issue. The diesel and petrol engines are small enough that they do give a proper balance between power and economy for the vehicle. From what I have seen the interior looks pretty well put together and far more refined than the Brezza and the Tata. 

Short of it having serious reliability issues, the only thing that they can really hold against it (compared to what else is there in the Indian market) is the price. So to make it competitive, the only thing Nissan can do is to cheapen it. 

[Gummybr]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

To be honest...I feel the Indian consumers are being very..uhh..cheap about it. The car is barely larger as a Suzuki Brezza or any of the other Tata Crossovers...so size cannot be an issue. The diesel and petrol engines are small enough that they do give a proper balance between power and economy for the vehicle. From what I have seen the interior looks pretty well put together and far more refined than the Brezza and the Tata. 

Short of it having serious reliability issues, the only thing that they can really hold against it (compared to what else is there in the Indian market) is the price. So to make it competitive, the only thing Nissan can do is to cheapen it. 

The kicks has got some good power from the 1300cc engine. I feel that price is the issue for Nissan so as you say maybe yes its going to be a cheaper version lets wait and see. 

I was reading on Autocar on the best selling cars for 2019 and the Swift is just behind the Vitz mainly because its a good seller in India, so Nissan can take a leaf out of that and go all out.

[matroska]

21 hours ago, Kavvz said:

But the million dollar question will be: Is the CVT gearbox going to hold up!  

Well at least it aint DCT .... seriously though isn't everything CVT now?  CVT boxes are such killjoys ? 

[Kavvz]

1 hour ago, matroska said:

Well at least it aint DCT .... seriously though isn't everything CVT now?  CVT boxes are such killjoys ? 

Each has its purpose I guess...I think DCT's are definately the way to go performance wise, but I guess reliability is pretty much an issue especially in our traffic conditions coupled with the heat and humidity.

Having said that, for stop-go driving and generally just crawling around in traffic nothing beats a CVT.

So if you're a commuter who spends most of their time stuck in traffic, a CVT is not such a bad thing. Again though, reliability may be an issue if its a high torque application; but I feel in a small kei car, or a light passenger car, a CVT might just be the best fit for the urban commute...