ThaiBob Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 The Harrier is an SUV built in Japan and sold here in the grey market for around 2.7M baht. They are really nice and have many Lexus features and styling cues. Just seems like there is a a market here for this SUV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonman Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 For Toyota to sell it they would have to provide full after sales service/maintenance and support for it. I doubt they will sell in enough volume to warrant the expenditure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phra Ek Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I thought they did sell it here - just badged as a Lexus with a crazy inflated price? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uwe_rayong Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I thought they did sell it here - just badged as a Lexus with a crazy inflated price? Lexus RX starts around 4 million http://www.lexus.co.th/en/models/rx/rx-270.html#pricing-specifications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 It is a VERY old car......they do sell the Lexus as an import, but to sell it here seriously, they would have to build it here....this would require a new and very different production line. At present most manufacturers are concentrating on vehicles that will sell well in Thailand can be manufactured quite simply and now exported. Most of these are in reality quite basic vehicles that don't require the highly automated production lines of cars like the Harrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpSpeed Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) Seen new ones running around Thailand when I was there just a couple years ago, may be black market though, I understand they're outrageously expensive there, more over than the usual. Edited July 28, 2014 by WarpSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMHO Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 For Toyota to sell it they would have to provide full after sales service/maintenance and support for it. I doubt they will sell in enough volume to warrant the expenditure. Right, they pulled the V6 Camry because it sold in too low numbers, and it was relatively easy from the POV of production and support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiBob Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 The new Harrier is not simply a rebadged Lexus. For 2.7M (gasoline version) I see a market for it since they have nothing in this segment. http://paultan.org/2013/11/15/2014-toyota-harrier-tech-details-revealed-2-0-2-5-hybrid/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 For Toyota to sell it they would have to provide full after sales service/maintenance and support for it. I doubt they will sell in enough volume to warrant the expenditure. Right, they pulled the V6 Camry because it sold in too low numbers, and it was relatively easy from the POV of production and support. They may well introduce some "larger" and more sophisticated vehicles in the future to cater for the Australian market. But most vehicles that were manufactured in Oz were also of very basic design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Seen new ones running around Thailand when I was there just a couple years ago, may be black market though, I understand they're outrageously expensive there, more over than the usual. Bit of a catch 22 situation - You can get any vehicle you want in Thailand.....so long as you are prepaid either to pay about 300% in taxes and duties or you are able to get round this by knowing the right people......which is probably why you are rich enough to pay the duties in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Seen new ones running around Thailand when I was there just a couple years ago, may be black market though, I understand they're outrageously expensive there, more over than the usual. Newly bought maybe, but the car in pretty much the same format has bee around since the late 1990s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurwait Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Much easier to bung some extra seats and windows on a hilux pick up and sell it cheaply to the wannabes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurwait Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) Double post Edited July 29, 2014 by arthurwait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bung Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpSpeed Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? Actually this was my premise regarding the Harrier, it may be an old model to the rest of the west but here I think it was a new offer, it was an brand new vehicle I saw and if you think about it from Toyota's view point, better to get a few more miles out of an older model design in a new market then to redesign for a smaller markets purposes. Conversely, the Jazz for example was released and market tested in the east for years before coming to the states.. Edited July 29, 2014 by WarpSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonman Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? Actually this was my premise regarding the Harrier, it may be an old model to the rest of the west but here I think it was a new offer, it was an brand new vehicle I saw and if you think about it from Toyota's view point, better to get a few more miles out of an older model design in a new market then to redesign for a smaller markets purposes. Conversely, the Jazz for example was released and market tested in the east for years before coming to the states.. But getting miles out of an older model in a new market only works if they have excessive stock of them. It doe not make financial sense to keep the production line running for the small volume output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozsamurai Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Simply put the Harrier was released in 1997 as part of the Toyota range, simply because they wanted mileage from the design and the market was begging for SUV types (HRV, CRV, et al). At that point the LEXUS brand was not available in the Japanese domestic market (nor Infini). These 'up market spec' models were only for export, however when they found a winner they also released it as a cheapened Toyota version. They also gutted a lot of the higher end Toyotas in their market and continued their development under the Lexus brand (Soarer comes to mind). Later as the Japanese consumer somewhat got over their phobia of 'Luxury Cars' not being able to be made by their own makers, Lexus was finally opened in Japan, and is still struggling domestically in competition with 'real Luxury Cars' (BMW, MERC etc.). The Harrier was just one of the models stuck in the transition is all. You could say the same of the about the Camry (Lexus ES), Soarer (Lexus SC), Celsior (Lexus LS), Altezza (Lexus IS) and so on....... Oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? Actually this was my premise regarding the Harrier, it may be an old model to the rest of the west but here I think it was a new offer, it was an brand new vehicle I saw and if you think about it from Toyota's view point, better to get a few more miles out of an older model design in a new market then to redesign for a smaller markets purposes. Conversely, the Jazz for example was released and market tested in the east for years before coming to the states.. not really - they don't have excess stock - Toyota seldom do - s they would have to make them...somewhere - this would either involve an older production line that could be making a more profitable model or building it in a new factory in Thailand to avoid duty......which would be costly and again instead of a new more profitable model. when you modernise your range you don't just bring out a new car, you modernise your production systems and make them more efficient/profitable, so starting up on a car designed 20 years ago is a big step backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? Are you referring to Thailand? The market here is still partially at least, an equipment market and protected by government regulations that not only affect imported cars but also stipulates what is or isn't acceptable in the thai market. In the factories they are making many vehicles now that are solely for export, these have the spec that is best suited for the market they are going to......some of the differences are quite substantial. one thing the Japanese learned years ago though was the value of nail-on goodies on all their vehicles....whereas color choice etc and mechanicals may be basic, they are not shy of fitting the interiors with various gadgets to bedazzle the buyers. The Thai market will in the next few years change over from equipment to replacement and we will see (or rather are seeing) a change both in the models valuable and the specification of such things as the old pickup which still donates the market. (and not by accident) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VocalNeal Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Not being a car industry marketing guy.Simple solution is when in Rome do what the Romans do.One of the pleasures of coming to S.E. Asia is it is different so why not embrace the differences?There are too many cars to mention that are not available here. It is the same for almost every country. Some are, some are not.At least in Thailand the IS a grey market. In other countries there is not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpSpeed Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Like all manufacturers here Toyota are content with selling the most basic cars possible with the least amount of options possible and the least colour choices to a nation of people with a herd mentality. See the massive advertising campaigns about a ten year old car new for this year with........a sticker down the side! And the populace swallow it hook, line and sinker. Who would dare question it? Actually this was my premise regarding the Harrier, it may be an old model to the rest of the west but here I think it was a new offer, it was an brand new vehicle I saw and if you think about it from Toyota's view point, better to get a few more miles out of an older model design in a new market then to redesign for a smaller markets purposes. Conversely, the Jazz for example was released and market tested in the east for years before coming to the states.. But getting miles out of an older model in a new market only works if they have excessive stock of them. It doe not make financial sense to keep the production line running for the small volume output. Yeah there's truth in that but I'm speaking more of it still being offered as it's only been updated, it's still available in 2014 models with 2015 models now being offered in some markets.. This is a Malaysian article about the newly designed model. As Ekh says this is really just a rebadged Lexus it seems. http://paultan.org/2013/10/13/harrier/ Already packaged and right drive available next door seems it would be an easy jump for the up scale Thai market to offer few higher end SUV's to the market in lower numbers. Edited July 30, 2014 by WarpSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiBob Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 If you are in Pattaya now there is a car show on the lower level of Central Festival. There are 2 Harriers on display from a importer, OSH. This SUV is an eye catcher especially from the front. Many of the styling cues will be seen in Lexus for export to America, for example. They will get all the big engines while the grey market here gets the 2.0 and hybrid only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMHO Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Seems like an expensive way to buy something as gutless as a base model CR-V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarpSpeed Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Oh, but on the surface it doesn't carry a gutless look and that's what sells well in the Thai market. Besides a hybrid is a good thing yes? Edited July 30, 2014 by WarpSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiBob Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Seems like an expensive way to buy something as gutless as a base model CR-V. Do you have the performance figures comparing the two and not referring to displacement? The bmw x3 and x5 were on display and harrier clearly had the edge on the x3 and this coming from a bmw lover. Looking at the x3 and x5 prices it would be a steal if Toyota sold near the grey market price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcopops Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 What about a Saburu XV? About 1.3 million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong! Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I saw one of those 'new' Harriers in CM this week. I've also seen Toyota advertising their arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiBob Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 I saw one of those 'new' Harriers in CM this week. I've also seen Toyota advertising their arrival. Hope you are right but I suspect the advertisement came from a grey market dealer and not Toyota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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