2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure, 2018 Toyota Tundra TRD Sport, 2018 Toyota Sequoia TRD Sport Debut
2017 Chicago Auto Show - Bill Fay
February 09, 2017
As prepared for:
2017 Chicago Auto Show
2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure/2018 Toyota Tundra TRD Sport/2018 Toyota Sequoia TRD Sport Debut
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017
Bill Fay, Toyota Group Vice President and General Manager
Good morning... It's great to be here, kicking off the start of the Chicago Auto Show. I love seeing our trucks all over the world... doing what they do best... getting dirty and having fun!
That was just a small clip of our action-packed TRD Pro Challenge video that we shot in Vietnam.
You can catch the entire show when it broadcasts on the Velocity channel, on March 25th.
Ever since we launched the TRD Pro family right here in Chicago... we've been busy putting our ultimate off-road trucks through as many challenges as possible... making sure that they continue to be the toughest in the industry.
In the first TRD Pro Challenge, we raced our Tundra in the Baja 1000... and won our class.
For the second challenge, the entire TRD Pro family scaled the treacherous volcanos of Chile.
And then we took to the Arctic for some cold-weather testing... and to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Finally...you just saw our latest challenge... where we tackled the toughest terrain that Vietnam could throw at us during our journey from the South to the North.
Now...
We're not expecting our owners to take their Pros to these extremes... but it's certainly nice to know they can handle it.
Lately, the TRD Pro family has been getting a lot of the Toyota spotlight, creating a halo-effect that has made our TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road grades more popular than ever.
In fact, across our Truck and SUV lineup, TRD sales are up by more than 52 percent over the last two years. And nearly half of Tundra and Tacoma customers are opting for a TRD package.
Whether it's on the trail...or in the fast lane... our truck owners appreciate that added performance edge and unique styling that sets them apart.
Ladies and gentlemen...I'm pleased to introduce the two newest additions to the TRD family... the 2018 Tundra... and Sequoia TRD Sport. These trucks came out great!
With a focus on superior on-road driving performance... our engineers at TRD worked closely with Bilstein to develop sport-tuned shocks.
Next... they reduced body-roll by adding beefier TRD front and rear sway bars.
And finally... they topped them off by pairing them to distinct 20-inch wheel and tire packages.
Each TRD Sport comes with its own styling to match its enhanced performance.
The Sequoia features:
Black accents on its wheels, grille and mirrors, smoked taillights, and TRD Sport badging.
The Tundra TRD Sport includes:
-- Color-keyed mirrors, bumpers and hood scoop
-- Mesh grille
-- Smoked LED headlights
-- And TRD Sport graphics.
In addition to the TRD Sport grades, ALL 2018 Sequoias and Tundras will get: new grilles, LED lighting, multi-informational displays, and more.
But the most significant change to the 2018 models is that they will both come STANDARD with Toyota Safety Sense P... anchored by automatic emergency braking.
Safety has always been a key pillar at Toyota... which is why TSS will be standard equipment on nearly all of our models by the end of this year.
No other brand comes close to this commitment to safety.
Our trucks are hotter than ever.
We closed out 2016 with our 5th consecutive best-ever year of sales.
These new additions to standard safety and performance are only going to make them stronger!
As solid as our truck sales have been... nothing is quite as impressive as the RAV4... which celebrates its best year ever...with sales above 350K.
The RAV4 was born over 20 years ago and it's never been hotter.
Our customers love its versatility... and it's the only vehicle in the segment with standard pre-collision system with pedestrian detection.
To meet the ever changing needs of our customers. We recently added two new grades to the lineup, SE and Platinum, as well as an all-new hybrid... and the response has been phenomenal.
It would seem as though we have a RAV4 for just about everyone... but as it turns out... there's room for one more.
A RAV4 that likes to play in the dirt!
Last year... we introduced our RAV4 Rally Team led by Ryan Millen.
In just one season... he was on the top of the podium 6 times, secured the NASA championship, and was named Rookie of the Year...all in a RAV4 that was nearly stock.
But most importantly the rally program has inspired us to develop a RAV4 that redefines versatility... and kicks up some dirt.
Ladies and gentlemen... take a look at the all-new 2018 RAV4 Adventure.
The RAV4 Adventure features a sporty suspension that has a taller ride height...helping people go MORE places...and have even MORE fun getting there.
The Adventure will be available in both front and all-wheel drive configurations...and includes a standard Tow Prep Package.
It will easily be spotted by its rugged exterior styling.
• Large, black over-fenders showcase its can-do attitude... and match perfectly with its black 18-inch wheels.
• Exclusive "Adventure" badging... as well as headlight, grille, roof rails and mirrors continue the aggressive darkened theme, while lower body guards are nicely contrasted in gray.
• To top it all off... roof rails will be standard, adding endless options to fit any active lifestyle.
The Adventure doesn't stop on the outside, as the interior gets:
• Carbon fiber-like finishes
• Power outlet in the cargo area
• All-weather floor and cargo mats, tough enough for any excursion
The RAV4 Adventure will go on sale in September... and we expect it will attract a new active buyer.
Before we wrap it up today, we have one more bit of news that we're excited to share with you.
Check it out!
We're honored to have Jay Leno be a part of our Tacoma TRD Pro team.
The Mint 400 takes place this March in Las Vegas, and it is one of the most challenging off-road races in the world... a perfect opportunity to test the toughest Tacoma we've ever built.
Be sure to check it out!
I'll be up here with Tundra Chief Engineer, Mike Sweers, and Sequoia and RAV4 Adventure Chief Engineer, Greg Bernas, so that we can answer any questions that you might have.
Thanks and have a great rest of the show!
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