Car news today: Toyota announces Area 35 roadmap to electrification, short-wheelbase Toyota Land Cruiser Prado under consideration, and more – 18 November 2024

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Thanks for joining us this Monday 18 November 2024. Notably in car news today: Toyota announces Area 35 roadmap for expansion and electrification, and Toyota Australia is considering a short-wheelbase Land Cruiser Prado… if the market demands it.

Browse this issue:

• Toyota announces Area 35 plan and path forward to electrification
• Short-wheelbase Toyota Land Cruiser Prado under consideration
• Jeep Gladiator sales slump forces layoff of 1100 workers  
• Geely consolidates Lynk & Co and Zeekr brands
• Hyundai announces TCR Edition of its i30 Sedan N
• Reviewed: 2024 Mitsubishi Triton GSR long term introduction video

What is Toyota’s Area 35 plan? Japanese brand wants to sell 3.5 million EVs in 2030

• Japanese global automaker Toyota has announced a radical new plan to boost its global firepower for electric vehicles in the very near future. 

• During the company’s recent earning call, Toyota announced lots of plans which reference the numbers 3 and 5. Watch out Area 51: Toyota’s plan is called Area 35.

• The brand plans to cut the number of parts used by 35 percent, wants to boost profits by 3.5 percent and expand production floor space by 35 percent to allow for three additional model changes. 

• Most importantly, it also wants to be able to build and sell 3.5 million electric vehicles in 2030, along with having better supply chain management. 

• Expect to hear much more about the outcomes of Area 35 soon.  

2025 Toyota Prado short-wheelbase version under consideration, no larger fuel tank to be available

• Toyota Australia could bring a three-door, short-wheelbase Land Cruiser Prado to Australia, but it’s far from being confirmed. 

• Toyota chief engineer Keita Moritsu told Australian media at the launch of the 250-Series Prado that if there is customer demand, such a variant could be considered. 

• Toyota offered a three-door of its outgoing 150-Series Prado from 2009 to 2013 in Australia, ultimately dropped due to poor sales. 

• In other news, the new Prado does not feature an external spare wheel carrier which ultimately means less fuel tank capacity due to the under-floor spare wheel location. 

• While the 150-Series had a 150 litre tank, the 250-Series Prado will use a smaller 110 litre tank. 

Jeep Gladiator sees sales decline globally, forces 1100 layoffs in USA

• Jeep’s Gladiator ute is struggling in the sales charts globally, with a drastic decline year-on-year, especially in the US market.

• Automotive News reports that between 2020 and 2022, Jeep averaged 80,000 sales of the Gladiator, but topped out at close to 90,000 examples in 2021. 

• However, less than 33,000 Gladiators were delivered in the US market in September 2024, prompting the Jeep brand to lay off 1100 workers. 

• In the Australian market, the Gladiator has sold just 420 units so far in 2024, and sold 682 units between January to October 2023. The Gladiator is the lowest-selling dual-cab 4×4 pickup in Australia. 

• Jeep hopes to bring sales back with the upcoming Gladiator 4xe variant, due sometime in 2025.

Geely Auto consolidates Lynk & Co and Zeekr brands

• Geely Holding, the owner of Volvo, Polestar, Proton and Lotus, has consolidated its Lynk & Co and Zeekr brands together to refocus on its electric vehicle lineup.

• According to a report by Car News China, Geely has rejigged its less popular Lynk & Co brand, and focused more on Zeekr to “streamline operations and enhance its position in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market”. 

• Zeekr has gained a controlling stake in Lynk & Co after purchasing 20 percent of the business, worth 3.6 billion yuan, or AUD$770 million, from Geely Auto. 

• A further 30 percent stake, or AUD$1.1 billion worth, initially held by Volvo Car, was also purchased by Zeekr. 

• The larger Geely Auto business now holds the remainder of shares.

Hyundai announces Elantra/ i30 Sedan TCR Edition, unlikely for Australia 

• Hyundai has officially announced a track focused version of its Elantra N, also known as the i30 Sedan N in Australia.

• Called the Avante N in South Korea, the track-honed model includes a carbon swan neck rear spoiler, 19-inch TCR specific forged wheels and beefy four-piston N Performance brakes.

• Also included as standard for the model includes TCR badging, an Alcantara steering wheel and Performance Blue seat belts.

• The powertrain remains the same as before, featuring a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 206kW/392Nm and paired to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.  

• The TCR Edition is expected to launch in South Korea in December 2024, but has not yet been confirmed for an Australian launch. 

2024 Mitsubishi Triton GSR long-term introduction

• Chasing Cars’ digital production specialist Tom Place’s long term video introduction of the 2024 Mitsubishi Triton GSR was published on YouTube, including Tom’s first impressions on the Japanese dual-cab ute flagship.
  
• Tom has been impressed so far with the cabin technology, great payload and solid towing capabilities.
  
• Notable annoyances after a couple of months include the driver monitoring system (DMS) which has been rectified by Mitsubishi Australia, but still has some issues even after said fix.
  
• Tom has big plans for the ute over the next six months, including undertaking off-roading, towing and comparing the ute against some of its fiercest rivals in the ute segment. 

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 19 November at 4.30pm Sydney time.