Toyota launches sub-4-metre Raize SUV in Japan

Toyota Motor has commenced sales of the new Raize at company dealerships in Japan from today. The new Raize is a compact SUV that measures less than four metres in length (3995mm) and 1695mm wide. It is, according to Toyota, targeted at customers who want to drive an SUV, who want to load their cars with a lot of luggage, but who also wish to have a car that is compact and easy to drive. The carmaker says, the Raize has been developed to be "active, useful, and compact", for use both for leisure on weekends and for everyday use.

The new Raize, which is shod with large 17-inch tyres, is the first compact car produced by Daihatsu Motor to incorporate its next-generation modular car making platform, DNGA, which anticipates product development for both Toyota and Daihatsu brands. 

All aspects of the car―including its platform and powertrain unit―have been newly developed, with the goal of realizing outstanding levels of driving performance, luxury, safety, and peace of mind.

The compact SUV boasts a class-leading 369-litre luggage capacity; the rear seats can also be folded to further increase the cargo space available, enabling particularly large or long items of luggage to be loaded. In addition, there are storage solutions located throughout the cabin, resulting in a highly convenient interior space.

As for driving performance, the Raize's newly developed light-weight, highly rigid body and suspension contribute to outstanding handling stability and ride comfort. By combining a 1.0-litre turbo engine with D-CVT ― used in a Toyota vehicle for the first time ― the car achieves the torque and driving joy of a 1.5-liter engine, as well as outstanding fuel efficiency.

D-CVT adds split gears to existing CVT belt drives and uses both belt and gear drives at high speeds for improved transmission efficiency. The gear-ratio range has also been expanded to provide powerful and smooth acceleration at low speeds and fuel-efficient and quiet performance at high speeds.

The Raize comes equipped with the latest Smart Assist safety features, including the Crash Avoidance Braking Function, which is capable of detecting both vehicles and pedestrians, and the Erroneous Start Prevention Function with braking control (forward and backward).

While the engine and dimensions of the new Toyota Raize make it seem like a strong product from Toyota for India, there is no news of this SUV making it to a Toyota showroom near you. 

The company does have a strategic alliance with Maruti Suzuki India and will be introducing a slew of rebadged products in India; the first – the Toyota Glanza – has gone on sale in June 2019. Other rebadged products in the pipeline for Toyota in India are reworked versions of the Vitara Brezza compact SUV, Ciaz midsize sedan and Ertiga MPV.