May 02, 2019
Toyota AI Ventures Launches New $100M FundFirm continues commitment to discover and invest in early-stage startups in autonomous mobility and robotics
Nothing here but dreams
May 02, 2019
Toyota AI Ventures Launches New $100M FundFirm continues commitment to discover and invest in early-stage startups in autonomous mobility and robotics
autoevolution
cars
moto
news
car reviews
spyshots
driven cars
space junk
green
newspaper
Compare Cars
BAC Calculator
Editorial
Coverstory
Motorsport
Testdrives archive
Auto Shows
Tuning
Car Finder
Photo of the Day
Glossary of automotive terms
Masthead
RSS Feeds
More on this:1 All-New Toyota Yaris Spied at the Nurburgring in Hybrid and Sport Forms2 Fake Toyota Supra Is Actually a Honda Civic, Has a Roof Scoop3 2020 Toyota Supra Gets Rotary Engine, Looks Like a Drift Car4 2020 Toyota Supra Shooting Brake Looks Like a Japanese Breadvan5 Toyota C-HR Gets Badgeless Grille in Crazy Rowen Tuning
Space Junk
NASA Plans to Keep the Voyager Spacecraft Ticking for a Little While Longer
Toyota To Build New Crossover At Alabama Plant, It's Probably the FT-4X
12 Jul 2019, 10:38 UTC ·
by Mircea Panait
Home > News > Car Profile
Not that long ago, Toyota and Mazda were looking for a place in the United States where they could build a factory. The two parties settled for Huntsville, Alabama and $1.6 billion in investments. Come 2021, the assembly plant will be up and running with a yearly capacity of 300,000 vehicles.
51 photos
MTMUS is where Mazda plans to produce a new crossover while Toyota would make the Corolla. But the bigger of the two companies decided to backtrack on that, shifting production to “a new, yet-to-be announced SUV.” The best-selling RAV4 and growing demand for crossover utility vehicles lead us to believe that the FT-4X from the 2017 New York Auto Show is the culprit.
Toyota will release more details in regard to the mystery model at a later date, and the Corolla will continue production in Blue Springs, Mississippi for the foreseeable future. At MTMUS, up to 4,000 jobs will be created to support crossover production for both Mazda and Toyota.
Aimed at “millennial-aged professional confined to city limits,” the FT-4X has been designed in Newport Beach, California as a “four-wheel-drive toolbox” with “Rugged Charm compact design” and “a long list of unique functionalities.” If you’re fed up with this marketing mumbo-jumbo, so are we. In all likelihood, the concept will morph into a sub-RAV4 model with limited capabilities off the beaten track and a hybrid option to appease the EPA.
Equipped with 18-inch Goodyear all-season tires and standing 167.3 inches long, the FT-4X comes with a four-cylinder engine, selectable low-range, MacPherson strut suspension up front, and a double-wishbone arrangement for the rear axle. It’s a promising crossover so far, but no an heir-apparent to the FJ Cruiser or a mini-me version of the Land Cruiser with the big ol’ V8.
Speaking of which, word has it the Land Cruiser will switch to a force-fed V6 for the next generation of the full-size SUV. That wouldn’t come as a surprise if you take a look at how Lexus dropped the V8 from the engine range of the LS, but on the other hand, don’t forget that Lexus also prepares to welcome a twin-turbo V8 in the LC F.
click to load Disqus comments for this storyThis enables Disqus, Inc. to process some of your data.
Car, Go Make Me Some Money!
The Dos and Don’ts of Washing a Motorcycle, Part One
Alfred Neubauer: the First “Don” of Motor Racing
On Electric Harleys and New Generations
The Dos and Don’ts of Washing a Motorcycle, Part Two (Final)
Aprils Fools' Pranks We’d Love or Hate to See Come True
Smoke and Mirrors: Volvo's New Top Speed Limit
5 Top Rated Electric Scooters to Cure Your Lime and Bird Addiction
When Ford Told Ferrari to Shove It Using a Race Car
The Engine Start-Stop Systems Conspiracy
Get Your Kids Driving This Summer: 5 Best American Ride-On Toys
The Biggest Anticipations in Motorcycling for 2016, Part 1
Could Volkswagen Group's Electric Plans Include Ducati?
Upgrading Your Car: Top 5 Ambient Lighting Ideas
Headwave TAG Helmet Music and Navigation System Reviewed
The Perversion of the Fast and the Furious
How to Choose the Best Dashcam for Your Car
Can Cars Be Hacked? Inside Secure CSO Asaf Ashkenazi Says Yes. By Anyone
Manipulated Into Liking Cars
5 Must Have Truck Bed Accessories Your Pickup Badly Needs
Interview with Lamborghini EMEA CEO, Andrea Baldi: Hybridization, Female Buyers
TOYOTA models:TOYOTA Yaris Hatchback (US) SmallTOYOTA Highlander / Kluger Medium SUVTOYOTA Corolla Touring Sports CompactTOYOTA Corolla EU CompactTOYOTA Tacoma Double Cab Midsize PickupAll TOYOTA models
googletag.cmd.push(function(){ window.slot4 = googletag.defineSlot(“/1004334/AE_news_300x600_noref”, [300, 600], “AE_news_300x600_noref__slot_4”).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.display(“AE_news_300x600_noref__slot_4”); });if(typeof window.REQUEST_NONPERS !== “undefined”) { console.log(“manref”); googletag.pubads().refresh([window.slot4]); } '+'ipt>';
if(i==3) txt+='googletag.cmd.push(function(){ window.slot5 = googletag.defineSlot(“/1004334/AE_news_300x250_noref”, [300, 250], “AE_news_300x250_noref__slot_5”).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.display(“AE_news_300x250_noref__slot_5”); });if(typeof window.REQUEST_NONPERS !== “undefined”) { console.log(“manref”); googletag.pubads().refresh([window.slot5]); } '+'ipt>';
}
txt+=””+
“”+
“”+data[i][0]+””+
“”+
“”+
“”+data[i][2]+”
“+
“”+
“”+
“”;
}
txt+=””;
$('#morescroll').html(txt);
nxloaderactive=false;
});
}
function aenext_lzy() {
$(window).on(“scroll”, function() {
if(nxstories!=false) return;
var footOffset = $(“#footer”).offset().top;
if($(window).scrollTop() > footOffset – $(window).height() – 600) aenext_load();
});
}
function aenews_fixoverlaps_actual() {
window.aeoverlapst=-1;
var $rsoc=$(“.rightsocial”).first();
if($rsoc.length!=0) {
var rsocofs=$rsoc.offset().top;
var $newsgal=$(“.newsgal”).first();
if($newsgal.length==0) return;
var ngofs=$newsgal.offset().top+$newsgal.height();
if(rsocofs commentsOffset – $(window).height() – 400) anyclip_load();
}
}
}
function anyclip_load() {
var d = document, s = d.createElement('script');
s.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js';
s.setAttribute('id', 'lre-player-widget');
s.setAttribute('pubname', 'autoevolutioncom');
s.setAttribute('widgetname', '0011r00002IZQzB_730');
(d.head || d.body).appendChild(s);
window.acLoaded = true;
}
Denso partners Smiths manufacturing for new aftermarket venture in South Africa
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is considering re-classifying petrol-electric hybrid vehicles so they get more favorable treatment than all-petrol or diesel counterparts under clean car rules, making it easier for automakers to meet environment quotas and offer more choice. FILE PHOTO: A Toyota logo is displayed at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland,… Continue reading China considers limited support for petrol-electric hybrids in boon for Toyota, Honda
Toyota Europe claims more than 50% cars sold in H1 2019 are HEVs
DETROIT, July 11 (Reuters) – An expanded alliance between Ford Motor Co and Volkswagen AG that includes a partnership in Ford self-driving unit Argo AI could redraw the balance of power in autonomous vehicles. A Ford-VW collaboration with Argo, the Pittsburgh-based start-up that has spearheaded Ford’s self-driving development since 2017, could help reduce the engineering… Continue reading A Ford-VW alliance with Argo could redraw self-driving sector
Sponsored Links Robert Hradil via Getty Images Toyota is getting into the semiconductor business, partnering with auto supplier Denso to form a new company focused on chip manufacture. The aim is to create next-generation semiconductors for use in the automotive industry and in self-driving cars in particular. Reuters reports that this includes components like “power… Continue reading Toyota forms a joint venture to make its own self-driving car chips
Toyota-Mazda Alabama plant to meet the rising SUV demand
Toyota Europe claims more than 50% cars sold in H1 2019 are EVs
Searching for your content…
No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.