Operating Officer, Vice President, Executive VP, Chief Technology Officer & Director, Toyota Motor Corp
Nissan Terrano AMT, Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota India Interview And TVS Apache RTR 200 Speed Record
On this week's episode of Bazaar Buzz we first take a look at the Nissan Terrano AMT variant. It's the gearbox from the Duster but it all comes down to how well it's been calibrated. It ticks a few boxes and there are a few things missing and well tell you all about it. We then talk to Hiroki Nakajima, MD, Toyota Motors where he discusses the launch of the 2nd generation Toyota Fortuner and what lies ahead. And finally, we take you to the Raid de Himalayas event where R. Nataraj tests the new TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and covers one of the most toughest rally track in the world. All this, mind you...
About Hiroki Nakaji
Hiroki Nakaji, who serves as an operating officer, vice president, executive vice president, chief technology officer, and director at Toyota Motor, participated in the company's New Management Policy & Direction Announcement on December 7, 2023. During a Q&A session, he responded to a question about the diversity of vehicles on display, stating that the variety, from trucks to sports cars, demonstrated Toyota's position as a full-lineup manufacturer and reflected the company's diverse customer needs. He said that innovation emerges from such diversity and described the variety of "car love" among employees as an indicator of Toyota's flexibility and an environment conducive to innovation. In a 2023 interview with Nippon TV, new Toyota president Koji Sato admitted that the company needed to work on its electric vehicle strategy. Under Sato, the firm adopted a goal of selling 1.5 million EVs per year by 2026. Sato said the company would make efforts to lower the price of EVs to the range of hybrids. Earlier, in 2016, Nakaji, then serving as chief engineer and managing director of Toyota in India, discussed the design of the second-generation Toyota Fortuner. He explained that the company decided to change the front fascia completely after customer complaints that the previous model looked too similar to the Hilux despite a higher price. He described the design concept as "tough and cool," noting that the body line was slightly kicked up at the rear to enhance the vehicle's image. He attributed the ability to create a distinct appearance while sharing many parts to the Toyota New Global Architecture.
Transcript (23 segments)
S
Siddharth Banerjee0:02
This is NDTV and you are watching NDTV Prime. It's a brand new episode of CNBC Bazaar Buzz. I'm Siddharth Banerjee, welcome to the program. Here is what we have lined up for you today. We review the new automatic Terrano from Nissan. We adapted a completely new platform as I mentioned. A very special conversation with the chief engineer of the new Toyota Fortuner. And the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V takes on the Himalayas. Right, so all of that is coming up. Let's start off then with the automatic Terrano from Nissan. It borrows its powertrain and of course that AMT gearbox from the Renault Duster. How has Nissan done with it? King Shakata drove the car. Here's our review.
N
Narrator1:19
The Nissan Terrano could be called the Renault Duster's butcher-looking cousin. And although it has never done as well in terms of sales in India, it remains a good package. And now Nissan has sweetened the deal a little and offered it with a diesel automatic or AMT gearbox. In this world where traffic congestion is a norm rather than an exception, automotive manufacturers are trying their best to make city driving as comfortable as possible. The AMT or automated manual transmission is a step in that direction. And the Nissan Terrano is the latest car to join the AMT bandwagon. The Nissan Terrano AMT remains exactly the same visually and equipment-wise. The compact SUV gets leather seats, a two-DIN car audio system with Bluetooth, USB, and aux-in. Instead of a manual gear shift, the Terrano AMT gets the gear shifter with the markings of R for reverse, N for neutral, and D for drive. And no, there is no P option for park. And it would be advisable to leave the car with the handbrake engaged when parked. The mechanicals of course remain the same as well. It is powered by a 1.5-liter dCi engine which produces 108.5 BHP of maximum power and 245 Nm of torque. The Terrano AMT has a claimed efficiency of 19.61 km per liter. The AMT unit is mated to the same six-speed as the manual and does get an Eco mode for when you want to be easier on the throttle. While clutchless driving definitely makes life a lot easier, one has to come to terms with the rubber band effect. In order for the AMT to shift up sequentially, one has to lift off the throttle. This results in slightly unpredictable power delivery and there is a lag as well, so you need to plan your overtakes well in time. The other miss that I could figure on this car was the lack of steering or column-mounted controls for audio and Bluetooth telephony. The AMT is offered in the top-of-the-line Terrano which is the XV. A car in this price bracket should have definitely had a convenience feature like this.
S
Siddharth Banerjee3:39
So from one SUV, let's go on to another one. The very successful Toyota Fortuner is back in its second generation avatar. The car was just launched a few days ago and the full review is on CNBC this week, so something for you to look forward to there. But we had a chance to catch up with the chief engineer of the new Fortuner project, Hiroki Nakajima. Here's an excerpt from that chat. Very important from the Indian automobile context today and indeed for Toyota Kirloskar Motor because it's the launch of the second generation of one of its most successful models of all time. The Fortuner is back and it's in an all-new avatar, and we're going to speak more about it with the man who's been responsible for that entire project, the chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima. Good to see you sir and many thanks for speaking to us.
H
Hiroki Nakajima4:22
Thank you very much for your continuous support throughout.
S
Siddharth Banerjee4:25
First things first, congratulations. The car, I just drove it so I'm fresh from that experience. And of course now it's been launched here in India. It's like I said at the start, a very important model for us in India, but also very important for you at Toyota.
H
Hiroki Nakajima4:40
Yes, of course. This is the most important market for Toyota in the world. So as much as possible, we like to meet that customer expectation level. That's my vision.
S
Siddharth Banerjee4:51
The last Fortuner, of course, again came to India a little bit later than it had already been in Southeast Asia, so there was a lot of anticipation when it arrived and it became an instant hit. It was a big success right till the time you phased it out. There was still a lot of demand for that car. Is that a lot of pressure to come back with a next generation when you already have such a successful model?
H
Hiroki Nakajima5:15
Yes, of course, that's right. So anyway, the customer expectation level is very high. So to meet their requirement, we adopted a completely new platform and we adopted a completely new design. So my concept is this vehicle is a true SUV with style and confidence.
S
Siddharth Banerjee5:39
You've mentioned that of course even in the video. I've seen where you've spoken about it. At what point in the development, take us back to the start. Where did you decide that when it comes to the styling, you will go in a very different direction? Because the last car, it had very typical SUV proportions, it was very tough and butcher-looking. This one is definitely more upmarket, it's definitely got some very pretty elements. When did you decide to take that new route?
H
Hiroki Nakajima6:07
Yes. Today we have many, many investigations in the market and many customers willing to drive this vehicle. On the road, there are many women willing to drive an SUV. So the styling is the most important, I think, particularly for the advanced image for the customer. This is a key concept. At the same time, as I mentioned, performance-wise we don't want to compromise.
S
Siddharth Banerjee6:32
The last car, again every time we saw an update we saw some new features coming in, but now the customer is very demanding. When it comes to comfort as well as connectivity, they have lots of demands. How did you balance all that out?
H
Hiroki Nakajima6:46
Yes, of course. The connectivity and other performance-wise we have to meet the customer requirement. So Toyota has many types of SUVs, not only Fortuner but also for example the Land Cruiser Prado, Land Cruiser 200. At the same time, we have the mono SUV. Many turns. So anyway, from the customer preference point of view, we have confidence that we can provide those types of values. At the same time, advanced key features are the most important thing for the current generation customer. So as much as possible, we implement those types of key technology in this vehicle.
S
Siddharth Banerjee7:21
It's good that you mention the two types of cars, the monocoque and the ladder frame. The last car, for all its popularity and all its attributes, the one thing that everybody always said was that it's too much like a typical SUV. It's got a lot of bulk, it has a little bit of body roll, and it's very bouncy the ride. This car, literally the first time I drove it I had to remind myself it's not monocoque. How did you achieve that stiffness?
H
Hiroki Nakajima7:50
So we adopted a completely new platform as I mentioned. Anyway, we decided to change the cross-section size of the side rail of the frame rather than... So automatically we can get higher rigidity, particularly on the bending rigidity. And it's very easy to absorb, particularly the higher frequency vibration. In that sense, we can get automatically high rigidity, at the same time higher quality level of the ride and handling. And this is the key concept of the new platform.
S
Siddharth Banerjee8:19
A lot of premium brands have made the transition by saying forget about ladder frame, we'll go just with monocoque even for the larger cars. But at Toyota, or even some of the Japanese manufacturers, we are still seeing a lot of these very traditional models still coming out. Is that because you have both kinds of customer demands? Do you think there's a big reason why you should continue to do ladder frame?
H
Hiroki Nakajima8:43
Yeah, of course. As you mentioned, we have two types of vehicle: one is monocoque, one is body-on-frame structure. So anyway, if the customer desires to have confidence particularly in the off-road capability, also we can provide the body-on-frame structure vehicle because it's very easy to absorb road input and very easy to get higher quality, durability, reliability. This is the heritage of Toyota's vehicle, I believe. So in that sense, as much as possible we like to meet the customer expectation level, particularly on the off-road capability. If the customer doesn't care about off-road capability, of course we can provide the monocoque body. Anyway, we at Toyota provide the vehicle for all people. That is our job.
S
Siddharth Banerjee9:30
Now one last thing, Nakajima-san, that I'd like your perspective on. IMV as a project has been very successful of course for Toyota. With the last generation we already saw that, but when you were doing the new generation, both the Innova, this car, the Hilux, what was the big approach that was different from the last generation?
H
Hiroki Nakajima9:52
So as you can see, for example, the Fortuner, how to differentiate the style of design from the pickup Hilux. The previous model, for example, the front grille is a very similar design, for example the instrument panel is very similar. But customers want to buy the SUV as an SUV. So in that sense, how to differentiate the style and design, not only exterior but also interior, this was the key point. But the commonization part level, or commonization part ratio, is completely same as the previous model. However, thanks to our styling designers' effort successfully, we can differentiate the style and design. For example, the hood panel and the front windshield, side or side door panel is completely same as Hilux, but customers don't recognize it, I believe. You can't see it.
S
Siddharth Banerjee10:46
And of course in India we don't have the Hilux, but I understand that for the other markets you have to take this into account. So lastly then, are you happy with the success? I know that like you mentioned, you have a couple more markets to take this car.
H
Hiroki Nakajima10:59
No, no. So we don't want to compromise because of the... I believe the customer additional expectation level is being raised after the launch of this vehicle. So as much as possible we would like to hear and investigate the customer voice, and we would like to continuously make efforts for improvement, that's small but steady. Daily improvement is the most important thing for us to meet the future customer's smile.
S
Siddharth Banerjee11:24
I think you've already done a great job with it. The package is good, the prices today have been announced, they're pretty competitive as well. I congratulate you and your team.
H
Hiroki Nakajima11:34
Thank you sir. Thank you sir.
S
Siddharth Banerjee11:35
Thank you for your time today as well. Thank you very much, good to meet you. Let's take a very short break here on CNBC Bazaar Buzz. I'll come back and answer some of your queries.