PETALING JAYA: The Toyota FJ Cruiser still looks handsome after all these years.
Word is that the chunky retro-styled model would be reinvented as a fully electric model in future.
You may recall Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda announcing last week in front of over a dozen planned BEV models that the company is sinking in 8 trillion yen (RM296bil/US$70bil) to electrify its cars by 2030, half of it to develop a battery electric vehicle (BEV) line-up.
One of the future models called Compact Cruiser EV is believed to be the electric successor. And it certainly bears similarities to the current FJ Cruiser.
The original FJ Cruiser was introduced in 2006 mainly for the US market. Sales was strong initially but declined in latter years and Toyota stopped selling it in the US from 2014.
The current FJ Cruiser. See how similar the Compact Cruiser EV looks to the actual FJ Cruiser.
However, the model continued to be improved and sold in small numbers in a few other markets such as the Philippines, the Middle East and South Africa.
Over the years, the FJ Cruiser has achieved a cult following in the US with low mileage units selling for more than what a new model fetched.
It's still early days and Toyota has not revealed details on the Compact Cruiser EV or when it's expected to go into series production.
But when it happens, it should delight the Americans who have been hoping for a comeback moment of a popular model.
