A few days ago, the Japanese automotive media BESTCAR engaged in a "big news", it broke the Toyota classic MPV model ESTIMA will be "resurrected". The name ESTIMA may be unfamiliar to many Chinese people, but it is actually previa's native name in Japan. Speaking of "Overlord" and Privia, I believe that many people's memories have come up at once.
In the 90s, when there was no MPV concept, it was very popular in the second-hand car market with its super comfort and invincible space optimization, as well as excellent handling.
And now, this classic god car is about to be resurrected, and will use the latest TNGA architecture and hybrid system, think it is very worth looking forward to, and even kung fu cars have smelled the market situation of "a car is difficult to find" in advance.
What kind of past and present lives does the "Great Overlord" have? What are the highlights of the new car? Let the kung fu car take everyone to see it together.
(1) MPV pioneer, unique "jianghu status"
Before the advent of Privia, there was no real MPV concept on the market. At that time, the so-called MPV on the market was actually mostly to package the carriage of the van and change it to a more comfortable and thicker seat, but in essence, it was still a van, and the driving texture comfort was not very good in all aspects. Including until today, some international manufacturers of the so-called high-end MPV also do this.
At the end of the 80s, Toyota smelled the market demand for this area. Toyota began designing a new MPV model at its design center in California, USA, until the first generation of Previa went on the market in May 1990.
Although from the current point of view, this is not a van, but at the time, the privia design was still very advanced. The spaceship-like egg-shaped design gives it an extremely low drag coefficient, and the low chassis and high body design maximize its interior space.
The Previa is a 7-seater design, but passengers can move freely between the three rows of seats, and the second row of seats can be moved, even rotated backwards. These designs are very advanced, and even laid the foundation for most of the design concepts of today's MPV models.
Previa also used a mid-mounted rear-drive layout, its engine was arranged on the front axle, with a front-to-rear weight ratio of nearly 50:50, with a front double wishbone, rear multi-link independent suspension, which gave it very good handling, the evaluation at the time was that the chassis was comparable to a supercar, better than most cars. In terms of power, it is a matching 2.4L naturally aspirated engine, which is honestly not outstanding for such a big car, but its overall mechanical performance is still very prominent.
Another point is its safety equipment, Privia used high-tensile steel in the A, B, C, and D pillars, and important parts such as the doors also added special reinforced crossbars, which were also very prominent in that era. Because Toyota judges that the users of this high-end MPV model are mainly for home use, they will pay more attention to the safety of the vehicle.
Overall, Privia has greatly influenced everyone's view of MPV, and it can even be said that it is the pioneer of today's high-end MPV, which is its unique "jianghu status".
(2) From rise to fall, leaving a classic memory
The first generation of Privia achieved a very good market performance as soon as it was born, first becoming popular in the United States, then rapidly fermenting in Japan, and also began to enter the country in the form of imports in the same period. Since the early Privia was introduced through the channels of Hong Kong and Taiwan, like the Overlord and the Land Patrol, the nickname of "Great Overlord" was also "introduced" at the same time, and of course, the nickname "Bullet Head" according to its image was also introduced.
Although the appearance was "simple", for the people of the country at that time, Privia was definitely a "luxury" without compromise. Of course, it is not only Privia, at the same time Chevrolet Lumina and Chrysler Grand Jay Dragon also entered the country, they are the high-end MPV "old three" at that time, in the market you come and go to play happily. But Privia still has a higher status because of her excellent handling and invincible quality reputation.
In those days, Privia was known as the "preferred choice for business travelers", which was synonymous with luxury and comfort and, to some extent, a symbol of power and status.
Of course, flowers are not red. The first generation of Previa produced for nearly a decade, but also its most brilliant decade, during which Previa has been Toyota's star product, similar to the current Xena + Alpha, after all, the MPV market at that time has not yet differentiated, basically the Chinese, American, Japanese markets take all. As for Europe, MPV has always been less popular, and they prefer station wagons.
But then the market began to diverge, and in the North American market, Privia was gradually overwhelmed by the larger and more practical Xena; in the Japanese domestic market, small-sizeD MPVs like Nissan Cerena dominated; in the Chinese market, MPVs with better luxury such as gl8 became more popular. As a result, Privia was slowly marginalized and gradually faded out of the mainstream market until the first few years of complete production stoppage.
(3) Can TNGA+ hybrid return to the mainstream?
Toyota has always regretted The Departure of Privia. As early as 2020, it was rumored that Toyota had started the research and development of a new generation, that is, the fourth generation of Previa, and I did not expect that this time it was directly hammered.
Judging from the hypothetical drawings given by Japanese magazines, the new Privia adopts a completely new design. The nose is shorter and the A-pillar is more front, which is a very typical latest generation MPV design, but it still retains the characteristics of the "bullet head", and its inheritance can be seen at a glance. This is also a magic weapon that Toyota has been trying and failing in the market, even if the inside and outside of the vehicle have been changed repeatedly, you can still see the shadow of the classic.
The new car is based on the latest TNGA architecture, and the design incorporates many elements from the previous concept car Fine-Comfort Ride, but the streamlined shape of the body will be more prominent. It is rumored that the wheelbase of the new car will be extended to 3450mm, which means that it will be the largest MPV model in Toyota's history, even surpassing the Xena, but this news has not been confirmed by Toyota's official for the time being.
Regarding its powertrain, Toyota officials are also silent. Not surprisingly, the latest THS hybrid system should be used, which is expected to use a 2.5L hybrid system in China, with a larger drive motor, and the foreign no displacement tax shackles will use a 3.5L hybrid system. But no matter which set is used, the power performance will certainly not be bad, and the fuel consumption will be very low, which is certain.
There is also a theory that the new Previa will be equipped with Toyota's latest FCV hydrogen fuel cell system, not the FCV system on the Mirai, which is too weak, but will use a new system based on the new platform. It is also said that the new car will be completely electrified, directly equipped with a set of pure electric system, this probability is relatively small, Toyota pure electric model planning, it seems that for the time being has not yet joined the Privia.
But in any case, Toyota is already committed to the development of a new generation of Previa, and it must be using the latest set of technology, we will wait and see.
(4) Kung Fu shooting
From the planning point of view, the competitiveness of new Previa should be good. Coupled with the fact that this car has a strong emotional blessing, the foreign market is not easy to say, and there should be a good market performance in China. In fact, with the rise of China's automobile consumer market, all kinds of personalized models have ushered in the spring, and I believe that Privia will also get its share of the market.
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