The Toyota Kijang Innova EV Concept, based on the Kijang Innova MPV, has been unveiled by the Toyota Astra Motor team in Toyota indonesia at the 2022 Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta. Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta.
The Kijang Innova EV Concept is based on a commercially available internal combustion engine-powered vehicle that has been on the market for many years, unlike the new generation of Toyota’s electric vehicle fleet, which was unveiled late last year by President Akio Toyoda himself. The second generation Toyota Innova, launched in 2015, is an MPV with conventional internal combustion power and the third row of seats.
The most obvious styling features are the blue decals on the side of the vehicle, which symbolise zero emissions, and the hexagonal water tank cover on the front of the vehicle, which has been replaced with a closed design. The LED headlamps with DRL daytime running lights are also inlaid with blue trim to enhance the visual appearance, but the vertical fog lamps on the front bumper and the lower air dam are almost identical to the fuel version.
The team at Toyota Astra Motor Indonesia first removed the engine and transmission from the internal combustion-powered Innova and replaced it with an electric motor and battery pack. Although Toyota Astra Motor has not released the power specifications for the Kijang Innova EV Concept, we can see from the dashboard video that the vehicle can still travel 134 kilometres on 67% power. This translates into an estimated 210km of driving with a fully charged battery.
Externally, the Kijang Innova EV Concept has a distinctive design from the commercially available Innova models, such as a closed tank cover, blue daytime running lights, grey aluminum wheels, blue/black painted trim, chrome-plated exterior mirror caps, and an EV electric vehicle nameplate. The cabin features a bespoke interior, the Innova EV nameplate, and a special dashboard design, although the Innova EV Concept, unfortunately, retains the fuel engine’s tachometer and the battery charge data is displayed on a screen in the central entertainment information system.
In fact, in the field of new energy, apart from the 16 strategic vehicles announced in Japan last year, Toyota is also making moves to develop the Chinese market. 10 pure electric vehicles will be launched in the next few years for the Southeast Asian market, in line with the development of Toyota’s overall new energy policy!
The Kijang Innova EV actually looks almost identical to the fuel version, but there are some differences in the details. The blue factory badge, like that of the Hybrid, is present throughout the car, the traditional fuel filler cap is replaced by a charging socket (although it is not clear what size it is) and the bodywork is painted in blue.
The interior remains the same, but the backlighting has been changed to a blue setting and the lettering has been modified. The central display shows battery capacity, power supply details, remaining range and more, and finally the Innova EV has been added to the headrest!
The Kijang Innova is now at the end of its generation, so the car may not be available in this form in the future, unless Toyota still uses the existing IMV platform as a magic conversion to an all-electric system compatible design.
Toyota has already announced an investment of Rp 28 trillion in Indonesia until 2024, and according to CNN Indonesia, the investment will be used to produce new energy models such as pure electric vehicles and petrol-electric vehicles, and as many as 10 electric models will be launched in the next 5 years; it will also start to produce Hybrid models from 2022 onwards, and will be used as an export destination for the ASEAN region, which is expected to expand to another 20 countries and reach 100 regions by 2024!
Mr. Henry Tanoto, Vice President of Toyota Astra Motor, said that the Kijang Innova EV Concept aims to study and increase the popularity of EVs in the market. According to Autonetmagz, although the Innova EV Concept is not currently planned for mass production, it is a road-legal and roadworthy concept vehicle.
