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I wonder if the Tacoma really gets a redesign or if they simply use the new generation model that has been available internationally for several years.
Not sure why the U.S. Tacoma available today is a few generations behind technology/design.
The Tacoma is probably ahead of the Ford Ranger....which, for the U.S. market, is basically a near-decade-old Australian design converted to right-hand-drive.
By MY24 current RC would be either canned forever or replaced completely by a new model. I doubt they will refresh the current car once more.
That might have something to do with how committed Lexus is to staying in racing. I think there are supposed to be new GT3 car regulations announced early in 2022. I think the only series that Lexus races in currently is IMSA in the GTD class using the GT3 platform on the RC-F. The GTD class itself is changing in 2022 from strictly a Pro-Am style where you generally have one Gold or Platinum rated driver and the others are a mix of Silver or Bronze drivers. There will be a new division within GTD called GT Pro where you can have both drivers either Gold or Platinum. This change or addition is happening due to the GTLM division, (cars that race in the 24 Hours of LeMans, Corvette C8R, Porsche 911 RSR) going away due to low car count. This year there are only 3 GTLM cars running in that class at the sprint events and BMW comes in with two M8's for the endurance events so 5 cars at the highest.
Lexus (or Vasser-Sullivan the team that runs the Lexus program) so far hasn't announced which way they are going to go either staying Pro-Am or moving up to GT Pro. I don't know that Lexus would base the RC's future strictly around racing. I'm just suggesting a possible way they could be looking at it.
I am surprised the LX and LC will still be produced due to poor sales. Toyota is discontinuing the Landcruiser in the U.S., not sure why they are keeping LX.
The LX sells about 125% of what the Land Cruiser sold in the US in any given year and the demographic is highly desirable. Those households have some of the highest median income levels in the marque; certainly the highest in the Toyota stable. I think Toyota figures if they can push all those sales into the LX it will improve their margins and serve as a halo truck for all the other SUVs they have to sell. I could see the Land Cruiser coming back as a two row outdoor model and the LX as a three row luxury model; but I guess we'll see.
It seems the TNGA platform launch consumed a lot of resources as the product pipeline for both Toyota and Lexus was rather dry until recently. They desperately need a halo crossover or a 3 row crossover (or both) for the Lexus brand b/c other makes are eating their lunch in this highly lucrative market. Also for as many IS's as they sell you'd think they would do a new TNGA version by now. While I'm not a huge fan of giant SUVs the LX/LC is still one of my favorites in that segment; but I have to admit the GLS and X7 are more competitive cars.
Originally Posted by Motorola
Very weird that many vehicles like the Camry and ES won't get complete redesigns but a second refresh.
The Camry and ES sales are holding in a sedan market that is in freefall. I saw a special saying the Camry is extremely popular as an Uber car and Toyota is gaining market share in a shrinking segment so they are probably pretty happy to not re-invent the wheel. The previous car had 2 heavy refreshes over a 10 year+ life span and remained the best selling car in the US.
Originally Posted by pbm317
Same. The Toyota way is built entirely on minimal incremental efforts. K Platform underpinned everything for 20 years. I don't expect to see major major changes to TNGA stuff for a long time. Re engineer some stuff here and there, sure, but leaps and bounds don't normally go with the roadmap out of Toyota City.
Supposedly the 4 TNGA platforms operate as separate companies; so there is some tweaking involved and roadmap latitude. The Rumor is that the TNGA-L platform (Lexus LC, LX, Mirai) is considered overweight so a substantial revision may be in the cards, and it may combine with the TNGA-N platform to simplify production and improve efficiencies. The actual cars can vary quite a bit but things like engines, climate controls, telematics and crash structures are shared because they are the most expensive to produce. Other manufactures (VW) have struggled with this new platform concept so Toyota deserves a lot of credit for rolling this out with a minimal impact on quality.
Very weird that many vehicles like the Camry and ES won't get complete redesigns but a second refresh.
I think because of the EV trend, all car companies will re-consider to "redesign" all of their cars after 2025. Those that are already planned before 2025 will be follow the road map, such as the Lexus RX. But those that just came out like 2019/2020 may not see a re-design ever again due to "EV" trend...
08-06-21, 10:40 AM
