Toyota Innova Zenix Hybrid to launch in 2023? UMWT confirms 2nd hybrid model for Malaysia
Hans · Jan 6, 2023 10:01 AM
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UMW Toyota Motor has confirmed that it will be adding a second hybrid model to its line-up of Toyota models for Malaysia.
In a press statement released earlier today, President Ravindran K. said UMW Toyota Motor will adopt a diversified, multi-pathway approach towards carbon neutrality, and that hybrids (also known as hybrid electric vehicles or HEVs) are the most suitable option for Malaysian buyers.
"We will continue to evaluate different options and introduce them as appropriate. For now, we believe HEVs are the most suitable for Malaysians and will add a second HEV model in 2023,” said Ravindran K.
Currently, the company only sells one hybrid model, the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, which is locally assembled (CKD) at the company’s Bukit Raja plant.
The confirmation for a second Toyota hybrid model comes after President Ravindran announced in December that Toyota will be launching its first battery EV (BEV) model in 2023, which we think is likely to be the Toyota bZ4X.
UMW Toyota Motor has yet confirm the identity of the second hybrid model, but it’s not difficult to guess.
Our neighbour Indonesia has already launched the Toyota Innova Hybrid. So does India. The model carries the Zenix and Hycross suffix in Indonesia and India respectively. We still don’t know if the next generation Innova for Malaysia will be known simply as Innova, or with an additional suffix attached.
Note that the company had recently renamed the Toyota Avanza into the Toyota Veloz, on grounds that the new generation model is a big step up from its predecessor, so a name change for the ageing Innova nameplate cannot be ruled out.
Like the Veloz, the next generation Innova will switch to a front-wheel drive layout. It will drop the IMV platform’s ladder-frame chassis too, in favour of a more refined passenger car-type monocoque TNGA-C platform that’s shared with the Toyota Corolla Cross.
While the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid uses a 1.8-litre 2ZR-FXE engine from the Prius (no longer available in Malaysia), the upcoming Toyota Innova Hybrid will likely get a larger 2.0-litre M20A-FXS Dynamic Force engine.
Indonesian market model shown
In Indonesia, this engine is tuned to make a combined output of 186 PS (versus 122 PS in the Corolla Cross Hybrid). The 4-cylinder engine is paired to a beltless, planetary gearset E-CVT automatic transmission driving the front wheels.
Over 80 percent of Indonesian buyers of the all-new Toyota Innova opted for the hybrid.
The outgoing generation Toyota Innova is currently selling in Malaysia for RM 133,880 for the entry 2.0G AT variant, and RM 141,880 for the 2.0X AT variant.
The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid carries a circa RM 5,000 premium over regular combustion engine variants, so it is reasonable to expect a similar jump in prices for the Innova. Expect prices of the new hybrid Innova to be slightly above RM 150,000, considering current inflationary pressures, rising raw material cost, and our weak Ringgit.
The Toyota Innova is currently locally assembled at Toyota’s older Shah Alam plant, which also makes the Toyota Hilux and Toyota Fortuner, all sharing the same IMV platform.
Since the new model will ride on a TNGA-C platform that’s closer to the Corolla Cross. Production could shift to the newer Bukit Raja plant, where the latter is being assembled.
Over 15 years of experience in automotive, from product planning, to market research, to print and digital media. Garages a 6-cylinder manual RWD but buses to work.
