Toyota expands Grand Highlander hybrid crossover lineup

Chicago — toyota motor is increasing its segment-leading, three-row crossover lineup with the brand new 2024 Grand Highlander, together with two gas-powered hybrid choices.

The automaker revealed the automobile on Wednesday evening as the large brother of the Toyota Highlander midsize SUV/crossover. In accordance with Toyota, it is longer and wider than the Highlander and provides 13.2 cubic ft of extra cargo quantity.

The automobile is the most recent instance of automakers making an attempt to go huge and take a look at their pricing energy as shoppers spend file quantities on new autos. The common value paid for a brand new automobile to start this 12 months hovered round $50,000, as automakers prioritize high-end fashions over entry-level fashions amid ongoing, still-improving provide chain issues.

Toyota didn’t announce pricing for the Grand Highlander, although analysts estimate it to be above comparable common fashions that begin between $36,000 and $51,000. It will likely be provided in three trim ranges when it arrives in dealerships this summer time.

In accordance with Edmunds, in the course of the fourth quarter of final 12 months, the typical value paid for a present Highlander was $46,600 – greater than $48,801 for a hybrid.

The Grand Highlander provides to the rising three-row midsize crossover section within the US, which has grown from 12 nameplates in 2018 to 16 autos for 2023, together with the Grand Highlander, Edmunds stories. Different latest additions embrace the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride.

The Grand Highlander will compete with these autos in addition to the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse and different in style giant mid-size SUVs/crossovers. Such autos have grow to be more and more in style — with gross sales up 4% from 2018 to 2022 — as Individuals transfer away from bigger sedans and different autos.

Evan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds, stated shoppers are more and more seeking to three-row crossovers as an alternative choice to minivans, that are ergonomic however have confronted the stigma of being uncool.

“All people desires a minivan however no one desires to confess it,” he stated. “Folks desire a third row even when they do not use it.”

The Grand Highlander was revealed in reference to this week’s Chicago Auto Present. A number of auto manufacturers comparable to Jeep and Volkswagen are anticipated to introduce particular fashions that may drive up costs.

The Grand Highlander, whereas bigger than the usual Highlander, shall be smaller than Toyota’s Sequoia SUV, which is produced via a truck-based or “body-on-frame” course of. This meeting provides larger utility however much less on-road consolation than the “unibody” course of used for vehicles and crossovers such because the Highlander mannequin.

“The present Highlander is barely smaller than the Palisade or Traverse,” stated Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P International Mobility. “You may have room for it. It is not too ‘trucky’ just like the Sequoia.”

The Highlander was one in every of Toyota’s best-selling autos final 12 months, with roughly 223,000 autos offered. It was outsold solely by the Toyota RAV4 small crossover and the Camry sedan. Brinley does not anticipate the Grand Highlander to be a significant quantity product, however he stated it “rounds out” Toyota’s crossover lineup and provides clients extra choices.

Edmunds identified that the Highlander was the best-selling three-row midsize crossover/SUV within the US final 12 months, beating out the Ford Explorer, Grand Cherokee L and Toyota 4Runner. In accordance with Edmunds, it is among the most cross-shopped autos by shoppers within the section.

Toyota says the Grand Highlander will provide energetic security and comfort options throughout the automobile’s three rows of seats, in addition to 13 cupholders and 7 USB-C cost ports.

The SUV shall be provided with three totally different engines, together with two hybrids – which units it aside from a lot of its prime opponents. Entry-level four-cylinder turbo fuel engines and a V6 hybrid are at the moment out there on the Highlander. Toyota stated the top-end V6 hybrid will generate a max 362-horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.

Hybrid Grand Highlanders comply with Toyota’s general technique of providing a mixture of typical fuel engine, hybrid and all-electric autos because it pushes in the direction of carbon neutrality by 2050.

“This three-row mannequin takes Highlander’s heritage to an entire new place, whereas additionally delivering on our promise to drive electrification,” Lisa Materazzo, group vice chairman of Toyota Advertising, stated in a launch. “

Toyota’s US automobile lineup contains 10 hybrids, two plug-in hybrid electrical autos and the all-electric bZ4X and gasoline cell-powered Mirai.

The Japanese automaker has been criticized by some traders and environmental teams for not shifting quick sufficient towards absolutely electrical autos. The corporate has argued that not all shoppers will transfer to EVs on the similar time and that it may produce dozens of hybrids with carbon emissions just like these of an all-electric automobile.

Toyota plans to speculate roughly $70 billion in electrified autos, together with $35 billion in all-electric battery applied sciences over 9 years. It plans to introduce round 70 electrified fashions globally by 2025.

Toyota – the world’s largest automaker – plans to promote about 3.5 million all-electric autos yearly by 2030, which might be solely a 3rd of its present annual gross sales.