Toyota PH announces event, 2021 Fortuner launch?

2020 may not be a good year for everyone but it’s different for Toyota Motor Philippines. The Japanese carmaker has been very busy the past few months, launching new and updated models left and right with the Corolla Cross being the most recent.

Now the company has announced an event to be held online on October 17, 2020. There is no mention as to what exact model they will be introducing or if this will even be a launch event.

The biggest possibility for this date is the launch of the updated 2021 Toyota Fortuner, one of the most anticipated vehicles in the market ever since it was first revealed in Thailand. This model is the most popular pick-up based SUV in the Philippine market.

This is not far-fetched as various units of the popular SUV have been spotted on trucks, probably heading for car dealerships. Information from Autoindustriya also says a lot about how close we are to an actual launch.

For starters, the updated 2021 Fortuner will have six variants, all with turbodiesel powertrains. The lone gasoline variant has been discontinued for the updated version, at least locally. The new lineup is as follows (from base to top-of-the-line) with the first three carried-over from the current model:

• Fortuner 2.4 G 4×2 M/T
• Fortuner 2.4 G 4×2 A/T
• Fortuner 2.4 V 4×2 A/T
• Fortuner 2.8 Q 4×2 A/T
• Fortuner 2.8 LTD 4×2 A/T
• Fortuner 2.8 LTD 4×4 A/T

The first four variants are the standard facelifted Fortuner while the LTD versions are the hotly anticipated Fortuner Legender from Thailand. This one gets a more aggressive exterior with a heavy revised front fascia compared to the lower variants.

Under the hood of the updated Fortuner should be the carry-over 2.4L 2GD-FTV turbodiesel that produces 150 hp and 400 Nm of torque, and a 2.8L 1GD-FTV turbodiesel that produces a higher 200 hp and 500 Nm of torque. Both are paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission while the base 2.4 G 4×2 M/T gets a 6-speed manual.
Autoindustriya’s article also mentions of the possible different features on the updated Fortuner (Read it here). As for pricing, there is no news on it yet and we’ll probably have to wait for more information or the launch date itself. Toyota’s event will be held on October 17, 2020 at 6:00 PM.