Daihatsu FT Concept could very well be the next Toyota SUV in India
Daihatsu, the Japanese brand, which is a completely owned subsidiary of Toyota, Japan had showcased its innovative SUV, FT Concept in the 2015 GIIAS Auto Show held in Indonesia along with its other concept SUV FX Concept.
The concepts were received well in the the GIIAS Auto Show and garnered good response for the Japanese auto maker. Now, the air is rife with reports that the FT Concept could make it to India with the big ‘T’ logo. Currently, the Daihatsu FT Concept is the global replacement for the SUVs Toyota Rush and Daihatsu Terios, which are essentially the same product with different fascia and finds market in the South East Asian countries.
The FT Concept which was showcased is a complete full size SUV long enough to accommodate three rows of seats and should be a comfortable seven seater. The FT Concept measured 4350 mm in length, 1750 mm in width and 1690 mm in height. Also, the distance between its wheels were measured at 2685 mm which should translate into good interior space. In fact, the FT Concept is just over 200 mm shorter than the length of Honda’s CR-V and around 80 mm narrower than the Honda’s in width. The vehicle in discussion was displayed as a front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration.
The FT Concept at the time of display had a 1.5-liter petrol engine good for 107 bhp inside. So, while a petrol only SUV from Toyota is almost completely ruled out, we have to wait and see what Toyota decides. While there is not much information on the kind of engines which might get to do duty inside this SUV, the one that has the most probability should be the 2.4 liter which can also be seen in Innova.
It would be really interesting to see how Toyota manages to bring in this vehicle to India and position the SUV in one of the toughest markets to crack in the world. But being a SUV crazy country, the SUV should taste good success in our country and the Toyota brand which is the hallmark of reliability should only add to that.
[Pics courtesy: IndianAutosBlog]
