Since no one has said this yet, I guess I'll be the first to mention this then:

Revive the CALDINA and sell it globally!!!











The Caldina was a vehicle that was AHEAD of its time. Indeed, without a doubt, it was one of the most bad-*** JDM sport wagons/estates/tourers that existed (along with the discontinued Nissan Stagea or the currently existing Subaru Exiga among others).

 

my eyes my eyes... omg that's ugly.

 

Toyota already has a Venza. No need for this fugly Toyota.

 

I am not against either the Land Cruiser or the Sequoia, I am against having both vehicles in the U.S. market. I can understand when times were really good, it was was a great idea to have both. But right now, times are tough for all car makers and having both of these vehicles in the US is a bad idea.

I think there is more pride in admitting the Sequoia is a mistake than anything else. No reason why Toyota can't have one worldwide platform and just build it in the US.

 

My other mother has one I think it is bad-*** as well and I love it and always think why don't we get one. Overseas gets some really awesome wagons. I think it looks good, especially from the rear.

Great post.

 

Toyota just needs to do what they did in the 90's, but revert it todays world. Make certain cars like the supra, mr2, and lexus are well known even after all the years. They were not affordable to many people back then which killed it off, but if toyota can make a sleak and reliable semi powerful motor for a decent price, I believe they can take the market. And get America less of these emissions bull**** and get the car even some Fords' which is an American company that we can't even access.

 

downsize the landcruiser back to what it was 5~8 years ago
its been growing too much since then

 

Stop the platform sharing between Lexus and Toyota models.

I know that the LS has its own dedicated platform but the GS and IS still share platform with Toyota Mark X and Crown. Doing so will free Lexus GS/IS to fully pursue performance and dynamism without having to compromise with Toyota's desire to bulid comfy/cushy appliances. Also decoupling Lexus completely from Toyota will add cachet to the Lexus brand and give Lexus haters one less weapon with which to downgrade the Lexus badge.

I know that Lexus is terrified of losing the sales of the RX and ES but in the long-term, this platform sharing hurts the brand's longterm ability to go fully up-market. If need be, develop an independant FWD/AWD Lexus platform for the RX and ES, devoid of any connection to existing Toyota models. The ES can be a lowered version of the RX if Lexus needs to share platforms for cost purposes similar to how the Porsche Panamera is just a lowered version of the Porsche Cayenne SUV. This way Lexus can hold on to its volume sellers without hurting the brand cachet.

 

The Venza looks nice on all sides.........that is until you get to that horrid and scary-looking front grille.

With the Caldina, it looks nice 360 degrees.

Btw
I'm not sure why you guys call it as ugly. I can't understand it (like how I can't understand why people call the Panamera Turbo S as ugly )

Oh well, tastes differ I guess :P

Anyways

Other mother you say?

Hmm.......
I'm guessing she's either from Japan then? Or from some Asian country? Or probably a country where cars drive on the left hand side of the road? (i.e. steering on the right side of the vehicle).

The Caldina has always been a Right Hand Drive vehicle and can only exist in LHD form via conversion (mostly aftermarket or custom job). Of course, the legality of such depends on your local laws within a given jurisdiction if such is allowed or not.

Nevertheless, the Caldina is indeed one of the best JDM only Toyota vehicles that have existed. (like the Mark X or the Crown)

It would be fantastic if Toyota revived the Caldina and brought it worldwide

 

venza is ok looking to me, even the front, but it's a heavy, slow, and space-inefficient vehicle.

not to me... for example, and maybe this is aftermarket (?) but does it really need a hood scoop or the glued on lower skirt/lip that looks like it was bought at walmart?



yup!

 

This is one of the worst suggestions I've seen in the thread yet. Toyota has proven that it is one of the best at sharing platforms and still making unique vehicles out of them. This is simple economies of scale that can be spread across multiple vehicles to help keep costs in check. It would not be cost effective to have independent FWD originated platforms for Lexus and Toyota and the ES is already a lowered version of the RX. Decoupling the two companies, for the sake of decoupling them is ridiculous.

 

I know about the benefits of platform sharing (economies of scale) but ultimately a car designer for the common Lexus/Toyota platform will be serving 2 masters with increasingly divergent aims : Lexus targetted towards performance/handling/luxury and Toyota towards user friendliness/inoffensiveness/mass-market. This conflict of interest will always mean that the designer will always compromise Lexus' goals in favor of the parent company's bread-and-butter mass seller.


Think about this : The GS, which is supposed to be a corner carving,performance sport-sedan challenging the 5 series, shares a platform with the Toyota Crown, a cushy people carrier for conservative Japanese middle-managers. The fact that the 4GS handles as well as it does is a minor miracle, and it is INSPITE of Toyota's efforts to tie it to the Crown/Mark X.

There may be a short-term loss in profits due to the higher initial cost of developing a separate brand new platform but the longterm benefits are worth the sacrifice : brand cachet, an unhindered development path to greater dynamism and clean-sheet car designs that do not have to accommodate aims that may not be integral to Lexus' philosophy as car company.

 

i doubt there's very many 'clean sheet' designs these days except for something like the LFA or maybe the FRS where a maker is going into a segment they're not currently in.

and even when cars share 'platforms' there can be huge latitude in implementation

 

great post - peoiple that compare this to a Venza are utterly clueless, especially about the Caldina.

 

Turbo diesels for the US!!!!!!!!!!
Soiid front axles back in the landcuisers.