Toyota showcases Philippine-made next gen Tamaraw to Marcos
MANILA, Philippines – Toyota Motors Philippines (TMP) showcased the “next generation” Philippine-made Toyota Tamaraw and its Corolla Cross H2 (hydrogen) Concept to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, October 25, in Malacañang.
“The next generation Tamaraw is proudly made in the Philippines, with investments in local production capabilities,” the Japanese carmaker said.
Toyota is producing Completely Built Units (CBUs) and Completely Knocked-Down (CKD) units of the new Tamaraw in its Santa Rosa plant in Laguna province south of the capital, where it also makes the Toyota Vios and Toyota Innova.
In his speech, Marcos recalled that the first generation Tamaraw, launched in the 1970s or during the regime of his late father, was “the first vehicle that was designed by a major motor company, specifically for the Philippine environment.”
He said most households in the Philippines “eventually roamed in, drove, used a Tamaraw at one point of their lives…” due to its “reliability.”
The latter versions of the Asian Utility Vehicle, popularly called Tamaraw FX, were used by many small entrepreneurs as school buses and public utility vehicles (PUVs). Toyota sold the Tamaraw FX in the Philippines from 1992 to 2002.
“It is a vehicle that has transported many of our people from home to their destinations, to school, to work,” Marcos said. “It provided our people a comfortable yet affordable means to commute. For small entrepreneurs and drivers, it served as a dependable partner in improving their livelihood and their businesses.”
“Our micro, small, medium enterprises and proprietors have a reliable partner now in the Tamaraw,” he said. “What makes this achievement even more meaningful is that the Tamaraw is proudly manufactured here at home — by Filipinos, for Filipinos.”
He said the new Tamaraw, with its upgraded engine, is “designed for the modern environment,” meaning it meets current emission standards.
Toyota has committed to donate the first five units of the ambulance version of the next generation Tamaraw to First Lady Liza Marcos-Araneta’s Marcos medical outreach program “Lab for All” Initiative.
Not like the old generation Tamaraw
The new Philippine-made Toyota Tamaraw is expected to be rolled out to car buyers by November, Rappler learned from several Toyota sales outlets.
Toyota Motors Philippines showcased an imported version of the Tamaraw nationwide from July 27 to October 9.
TMP President Masando Hashimoto has described the new Tamaraw as a “tough and reliable companion” that will “once again be enabling Filipinos to triumph over the challenges of today.”
He said the new model of the Tamaraw can again be for business or family use, a “champion mobility for all Filipinos.”
Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda said in August 2023 when he visited the Philippines that Toyota invested P4.4 billion to produce “for the first time ever, IMV [International Innovative Multi-purpose Vehicles] vehicles such as the Next Generation Tamaraw…as CBUs [Completely Built Units] right here in the Philippines at our Santa Rosa plant.” CBU means the parts are shipped to the Philippines and assembled in the country.
There are three generic versions of the new generation Toyota Tamaraw:
- Toyota Tamaraw Dropside (manual or automatic transmission)
- Toyota Tamaraw Utility van (manual transmission)
- Toyota Tamaraw Aluminun van (manual transmission)
The Tamaraw will have displacement of 2.4 (except for the utility van shortwheel base which has a displacement of 2.0) with a payload capacity ranging from 830 to 1,125 kilograms (depending on the model).
Conversion options for the next generation Tamaraw are:
- Patrol van
- Ambulance
- Refrigerated van
- School bus
- Freezer van
- Telco van
- Insulated van
- Patient transport
- Mobile store
- Mobile service vehicle
- Fire truck
- Camping car
- Food truck.
Toyota Motor Thailand launched its version of the Tamaraw called Hilux Champ in November 2023. The 2.4 diesel automatic transmission sells for around 570,000 baht or roughly P996,000. This is expected to be also the price range of the basic versions of the Philippine-made Toyota Tamaraw.
Toyota sales boost
The entry of the new generation Tamaraw in the Philippine car market is expected to further boost the market share of Toyota in the Philippines, which the Japanese carmaker has been dominating for decades.
Almost one out of every two cars sold in the country is a Toyota. In 2023, Toyota’s market share in overall sales was a dominant 46%, which it sustained in the first half of 2024. The rest of the pie is shared by at least 20 other automotive industry players.
In sales of commercial vehicles, Toyota also leads with a share of 44% in 2023 and 43% in the first half of 2024. Toyota Hilux was Toyota’s top-selling commercial vehicle in the first half of 2024 with 12,615 units sold, followed by the Innova at 9,173. The cheapest Toyota Hilux Fleet 2.4 (MT) pickup sells for P995,000.
The Corolla Cross H2 Concept, which was also shown to Marcos on Friday, is a hydrogen-powered vehicle which Toyota said “demonstrates its commitment to exploring diverse solutions for carbon neutrality.”
Both the new Tamaraw and Corolla Cross H2 Concept are also on display at the 9th Philippine International Motor Show at the World Trade Center from October 24 to 27.
Toyota Motors Philippines is part of the GT Capital group of companies founded by the late Filipino tycoon George Ty. – Rappler.com