Production Dates

[Carmaker1]

I haven't logged in for my own reasons, but I thought this might be useful (like to Joaquin ), as it's public, but not exactly easy to spot. They are very close estimates, because the '19 RAV4 was listed as Nov. 30th, but I know for a fact it was November 22, 2018 and quietly mentioned by Toyota.

Starting with redesigns:

• 550B program 2020 Toyota Highlander - November 29, 2019 (Have Nov 25th date since 2016)
  • 2020 Highlander Hybrid - January 31, 2020 (Spring 2020 launch)
• *500B program 2021 Toyota Sienna - March 2, 2020 (where are prototypes?)

• 2020 Toyota Sienna - March 2019

• 2020 Toyota 4Runner - August 29, 2019 (Applies to 2020 Lexus GX 460)

• 2020 Toyota Avalon - July 30, 2019 (Applies to 2020 Lexus ES?)

• 2020 Toyota CH-R - October 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Camry - August 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan - March 29, 2019

• 2020 Corolla Hatchback - September 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 - August 29, 2019 (Applies to Lexus LX 570)

• 2020 Toyota Mirai - November 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius - August 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius c - July 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius Prime - May 31, 2019
• 2019 Toyota RAV4 - November 22, 2018 line-off
  • SOP November 1, 2018
  • 2019 RAV4 Hybrid - February 28, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Sequoia - July 30, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Tacoma - August 29, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Tundra - July 30, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Yaris Sedan - July 30, 2019

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

I haven't logged in for my own reasons, but I thought this might be useful (like to Joaquin )

:laughing: You know me quite well, don't you? I just updated my Highlander info. (Next-gen Sienna remains unchanged). Thanks for that. I have some comments on some of those start-of-production dates:

2020 Toyota Sienna - March 2019

Makes sense, given the March 2020 SOP for the 4th-gen Sienna. That could mean we might see the 2020 3rd-gen Sienna debut at the New York Auto Show next month. Kinda academic, though, since, given its final-year lame duck status it should see minute if any changes.

2020 Toyota C-HR - October 30, 2019

Interesting. C-HR has, at least in the U.S., always been on an "early" schedule with the next model year going on sale in the spring, as opposed to the more traditional fall. An October 30 SOP implies an extended 2019 MY for C-HR. Is this an implicit confirmation of a mid-life refresh for the 2020 C-HR?

2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan - March 29, 2019

Are you sure the start of production is that late? A Toyota USA Newsroom release cites a March 2020 on-sale date. I have, in fact, already seen a couple of 2020 Corolla sedans on the road and around dealers here in Miami, and even saw a Corolla Hybrid sedan (granted, those come from Japan) in a dealer showroom yesterday.

2020 Toyota Prius c - July 30, 2019

Again, this one's of academic interest only, since Prius c is being discontinued for the 2020 model year in the U.S.

2020 Toyota Prius Prime - May 31, 2019

If that one is accurate, it implies a ridiculously short 2019 model year for the Prius Prime here in the U.S. As recently as 1 January 2019, the Toyota USA Newsroom was still listing 2018 pricing for Prius Prime.

2020 Toyota Yaris Sedan - July 30, 2019

I wonder if that timeline also applies to the rumored 2020 North America Yaris Hatchback-as-rebadged Mazda2?

 

[mikeavelli]

I'm hearing really good things about the next Sienna....

 

[Serpens]

I haven't logged in for my own reasons, but I thought this might be useful (like to Joaquin ), as it's public, but not exactly easy to spot. They are very close estimates, because the '19 RAV4 was listed as Nov. 30th, but I know for a fact it was November 22, 2018 and quietly mentioned by Toyota.

Starting with redesigns:

• 550B program 2020 Toyota Highlander - November 29, 2019 (Have Nov 25th date since 2016)
  • 2020 Highlander Hybrid - January 31, 2020 (Spring 2020 launch)
• *500B program 2021 Toyota Sienna - March 2, 2020 (where are prototypes?)

• 2020 Toyota Sienna - March 2019

• 2020 Toyota 4Runner - August 29, 2019 (Applies to 2020 Lexus GX 460)

• 2020 Toyota Avalon - July 30, 2019 (Applies to 2020 Lexus ES?)

• 2020 Toyota CH-R - October 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Camry - August 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan - March 29, 2019

• 2020 Corolla Hatchback - September 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 - August 29, 2019 (Applies to Lexus LX 570)

• 2020 Toyota Mirai - November 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius - August 29, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius c - July 30, 2019

• 2020 Toyota Prius Prime - May 31, 2019
• 2019 Toyota RAV4 - November 22, 2018 line-off
  • SOP November 1, 2018
  • 2019 RAV4 Hybrid - February 28, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Sequoia - July 30, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Tacoma - August 29, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Tundra - July 30, 2019
• 2020 Toyota Yaris Sedan - July 30, 2019

Hi- long time no see! Just wanted to mention the Sienna mules have been finally spotted:

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan - March 29, 2019

Are you sure the start of production is that late? A Toyota USA Newsroom release cites a March 2020 on-sale date. I have, in fact, already seen a couple of 2020 Corolla sedans on the road and around dealers here in Miami, and even saw a Corolla Hybrid sedan (granted, those come from Japan) in a dealer showroom yesterday.

A Toyota USA Newsroom release pinpoints the start of U.S. 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan production as March 18, 2019. I'm not delirious in knowing that I saw 2020 Corolla sedans in Miami before that date, so I'd imagine they sourced some early ones (plus all the Corolla Hybrids) from Japan. Mixed sourcing is nothing new for Toyota. To cite one example, U.S.-bound C-HRs are nominally sourced from Turkey, but one random visit to a Miami dealer revealed that about 90% if not all the C-HRs there were sourced from Japan.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

I'm hearing really good things about the next Sienna....

Like what?

 

[Carmaker1]

:laughing: You know me quite well, don't you? I just updated my Highlander info. (Next-gen Sienna remains unchanged). Thanks for that. I have some comments on some of those start-of-production dates:


Makes sense, given the March 2020 SOP for the 4th-gen Sienna. That could mean we might see the 2020 3rd-gen Sienna debut at the New York Auto Show next month. Kinda academic, though, since, given its final-year lame duck status it should see minute if any changes.


Interesting. C-HR has, at least in the U.S., always been on an "early" schedule with the next model year going on sale in the spring, as opposed to the more traditional fall. An October 30 SOP implies an extended 2019 MY for C-HR. Is this an implicit confirmation of a mid-life refresh for the 2020 C-HR?


Are you sure the start of production is that late? A Toyota USA Newsroom release cites a March 2020 on-sale date. I have, in fact, already seen a couple of 2020 Corolla sedans on the road and around dealers here in Miami, and even saw a Corolla Hybrid sedan (granted, those come from Japan) in a dealer showroom yesterday.


Again, this one's of academic interest only, since Prius c is being discontinued for the 2020 model year in the U.S.


If that one is accurate, it implies a ridiculously short 2019 model year for the Prius Prime here in the U.S. As recently as 1 January 2019, the Toyota USA Newsroom was still listing 2018 pricing for Prius Prime.


I wonder if that timeline also applies to the rumored 2020 North America Yaris Hatchback-as-rebadged Mazda2?

Sorry, I had typed up a long response on one of my tablets and lost it entirely, thanks to using Incognito Chrome tabs (have too many regular tabs open). I think those dates are good estimates, but as you mentioned about the the Prius c, yes it is being cancelled. Another source, gives a date of N/A. These dates are not entirely exact, as the patterns seem a little too typical. Plus, the 2019 RAV4 had a line-off ceremony on November 22, 2018. Not the date given above. It just gives a general idea I think.

 

[Carmaker1]

I'm hearing really good things about the next Sienna....

They're testing it at night I hear, to ensure photographers don't see it. Company grounds only during daytime. That's the modus operandi, unless you want photographers to actually spot you.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Is this next gen Sienna going to be THAT good for them to bother to test it at night time?

 

[Carmaker1]

Hi- long time no see! Just wanted to mention the Sienna mules have been finally spotted:

These mules have been seen testing much longer than that, yet only the Highlander was spotted.

I can wager that why mules are abound for so long, because both the new Highlander and Sienna entered production development in 2017 from initial work starting back in 2015.

The 550B and 500B designs were locked in about 2 years ago at this point, so there are definitely prototypes of 500B Sienna running around, while this TNGA-K mule is just racking up the miles.

American and Japanese photographers need to be working at night to spot these vehicles honestly, as European spy photographers get then whenever. Even at midnight.

 

[Carmaker1]

Is this next gen Sienna going to be THAT good for them to bother to test it at night time?

It's standard procedure for all OEMs, as even Honda was testing the final shape 1998 Accord in L.A. at night, starting in the summer of 1995 and yet it went unnoticed for 2 years. No spy shots ever published!

I've known MB and BMW to get caught at night, but Japanese firms keep everything close to vest. A note to everyone, a hellion of spy shots are missed from nocturnal prototype testing.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

It's standard procedure for all OEMs, as even Honda was testing the final shape 1998 Accord in L.A. at night, starting in the summer of 1995 and yet it went unnoticed for 2 years. No spy shots ever published!

I've known MB and BMW to get caught at night, but Japanese firms keep everything close to vest. A note to everyone, a hellion of spy shots are missed from nocturnal prototype testing.

Is the 2020 Toyota Yaris that debuts next month at the New York auto show going be a TNGA-B or Mazda platform design?

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Is the 2020 Toyota Yaris that debuts next month at the New York auto show going be a TNGA-B or Mazda platform design?

I have a strong gut feeling that the 2020 Yaris rumored to debut at the upcoming NY Auto Show will be nothing more than the current Mazda2 hatchback with a Toyota pug (or catfish) nose grafted on and sourced from the same Mexican Mazda plant as the current Yaris sedan.

My guess is that the Euro/Japanese TNGA-B Yaris will debut at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

I have a strong gut feeling that the 2020 Yaris rumored to debut at the upcoming NY Auto Show will be nothing more than the current Mazda2 hatchback with a Toyota pug (or catfish) nose grafted on and sourced from the same Mexican Mazda plant as the current Yaris sedan.

My guess is that the Euro/Japanese TNGA-B Yaris will debut at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

That will be really disappointing. I was hoping for Toyota ‘s own all platform and engines. I’m hoping it’s the tnga one.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

Will the Dynamic force V6 Gr replacement debut next month with the 2020 tnga Highlander?

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Will the Dynamic force V6 Gr replacement debut next month with the 2020 tnga Highlander?

The Dynamic Force V6 is already out exclusively in turbocharged form (V35A-FTS) in the 5th-gen Lexus LS. What we have yet to see are hybrid and naturally-aspirated versions of the V35A V6, let alone alternate displacements. Will we see any of those debut in the new TNGA-K Highlander? I don't know, but the answers should come in about 3 weeks' time...

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

The Dynamic Force V6 is already out exclusively in turbocharged form (V35A-FTS) in the 5th-gen Lexus LS. What we have yet to see are hybrid and naturally-aspirated versions of the V35A V6, let alone alternate displacements. Will we see any of those debut in the new TNGA-K Highlander? I don't know, but the answers should come in about 3 weeks' time...

I hope we get more answers over the next year about other dynamic force engines especially eight cylinders. A single turbo 3.5 liter from the LS with 330 to 350 hp will be a good replacement for the gr V6.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

Really hope that Toyota offers the TNGA-B Yaris in the US. Why would they not? Doesn’t make sense at all if they don’t.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

Really hope that Toyota offers the TNGA-B Yaris in the US. Why would they not? Doesn’t make sense at all if they don’t.

It's highly unlikely we'll see the TNGA-B Yaris in the U.S., and it makes all the sense in the world. Unlike Europe and Japan, where you see pricier, more profitable and better-equipped B-segment vehicles, the segment in the U.S. is battling for the few folks who would rather have (or can only afford) a showroom-new, bare-bones entry-level B-segment hatchback than a late-model larger used car or a new A or B-segment crossover. Between low sales volumes and high manufacturing costs, I'll bet anything that Toyota was losing their shirts on each French-sourced Yaris Hatchback sold in the States.

Yes, back in December 2010 I suggested that Toyota should build the TNGA-B Yaris in Mexico. Instead, they chose to piggyback on now-partner Mazda's further-along decision to build the B-segment Mazda2 in Salamanca, Mexico. And, guess what, it's turned out to be a win-win for everyone, not least because the Mazda2-based Yaris sedan is a way better vehicle than the aging current Euro Yaris/Vitz.

Anything can happen in the future, of course, but I'd say the odds of the U.S. seeing the TNGA-B Euro/Japan Yaris is somewhere between slim and none. Bear in mind, though, that the Valenciennes, France plant that currently builds the Euro Yaris is undergoing an expansion rumored to be for a TNGA-B Yaris-derived crossover, a baby C-HR, if you will. And that stands a much better chance of being offered Stateside.

 

[Bluesuprarcf52]

It's highly unlikely we'll see the TNGA-B Yaris in the U.S., and it makes all the sense in the world. Unlike Europe and Japan, where you see pricier, more profitable and better-equipped B-segment vehicles, the segment in the U.S. is battling for the few folks who would rather have (or can only afford) a showroom-new, bare-bones entry-level B-segment hatchback than a late-model larger used car or a new A or B-segment crossover. Between low sales volumes and high manufacturing costs, I'll bet anything that Toyota was losing their shirts on each French-sourced Yaris Hatchback sold in the States.

Yes, back in December 2010 I suggested that Toyota should build the TNGA-B Yaris in Mexico. Instead, they chose to piggyback on now-partner Mazda's further-along decision to build the B-segment Mazda2 in Salamanca, Mexico. And, guess what, it's turned out to be a win-win for everyone, not least because the Mazda2-based Yaris sedan is a way better vehicle than the aging current Euro Yaris/Vitz.

Anything can happen in the future, of course, but I'd say the odds of the U.S. seeing the TNGA-B Euro/Japan Yaris is somewhere between slim and none. Bear in mind, though, that the Valenciennes, France plant that currently builds the Euro Yaris is undergoing an expansion rumored to be for a TNGA-B Yaris-derived crossover, a baby C-HR, if you will. And that stands a much better chance of being offered Stateside.

Thanks for the response. I think it still doesn’t make any sense. I hardly doubt that Toyota makes any profit any less with the current Mazda Toyota Yaris sedan. Still don’t understand why it took them forever to replace the hatchback with the Mazda one if that was their plan since the beginning if they weren’t going to bring a Tnga B Yaris.