Toyota has had a busy year with what has seemed like a non-stop parade of announcements of new and upcoming models, as no less than eight new models have popped onto the scene since the start of 2023.
South Africa’s best-selling carmaker began the year with its annual State of the Motoring Industry address, where it gave a preview of a handful of the vehicles we would be receiving in the coming months.
This included four vehicles, excluding those developed by its luxury subsidiary Lexus, which comprised the facelifted Fortuner SUV, the new Vitz and Urban Cruiser, and the Crown – a nameplate never before seen in South Africa.
The Fortuner is one of the company’s most popular entries, so a major update came as little surprise considering the current generation has been around for seven years.
The Vitz, meanwhile, is the brand’s new entry-level model following the Agya’s cancellation and is actually based on the Suzuki Celerio, while the Urban Cruiser is ostensibly the replacement for the retired model of the same name, albeit with a noticeable price jump.
Arguably the most intriguing option, though, is the Crown, which Toyota initially said would go on sale in the second quarter. This turned out not to be the case, as the Crown has only just been listed with an official price tag – half a year later than expected.
The Crown is a high-end nameplate that is being sold in the country in limited numbers, and is one of the first of many vehicles planned to accelerate the manufacturer’s transition to new-energy systems with its 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain.
Speaking of which, another unit was added to the fan-favourite Corolla Cross line-up with the new GR-Sport Hybrid, which combines the selling points of both of the previous flagships into one entry.
On the sportier side of things, motorists finally have access to a manual GR Supra, as well as the new GR Corolla, which takes the appeal of the pre-existing GR Yaris and cranks things up to eleven with even more power.
Of course, bakkie fans were not left in the cold, as the tried-and-trusted Hilux welcomed a new limited-edition “X” model built upon the mid-range Raider specification.
A welcome addition
These are all of the new and updated Toyota models that went on sale in South Africa in 2023.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
Toyota Corolla Cross GR-Sport Hybrid
- Starting price – R543,700
Toyota Crown
- Starting price – R918,900
Toyota GR Corolla
- Starting price – R841,000
Toyota GR Supra Manual
- Starting price – R1,488,400
Toyota Fortuner
- Starting price – R673,100
Toyota Hilux Raider X
- Starting price – R674,800
Toyota Urban Cruiser
- Starting price – R337,600
Toyota Vitz
- Starting price – R189,900
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