Hello.
Good evening, everyone.
Thanks for joining us in the Windy City.
It's great to see you tonight and unveil the next
big thing in Toyota's SUV lineup.
Now, a lot has changed in the past 20 years
in the area of sport utility vehicles.
Back then, families had limited options for larger vehicles.
SUVs were sometimes a little too large
or a little too rugged for their tastes.
There was definitely need in the market for a unibody SUV
that delivered the best of both worlds.
So in 2001, we disrupted
the SUV segment with the introduction of Highlander.
And since then, we've sold over 3.3 million in the U.S.
and developed a loyal customer base in the process.
Additionally, we've continued to expand
our SUV offerings, most recently by adding vehicles
like the all new Corolla Cross and soon to come Corolla, Cross Hybrid
and the continued reinvention of our RAV4 and our Highlander models.
Our success has always been
in part because we start with the customer first.
We've seen families evolve over the years
with new definitions and dynamics,
and we strive as a company to evolve with them.
We study the market closely and saw families
embracing new experiences and adventures.
The desire to get out and explore with the whole game became a top priority.
As a result, the road trip has seen a resurgence
and the need for spacious seating and ample roominess
for hauling gear for the whole family increased as a purchase driver.
So we set out to create a vehicle that delivered
powerful performance and fuel efficiency across multiple powertrains.
A third row that can comfortably seat adults for extended periods of time.
And top of segment cargo space
for all of the important items to make that journey fun.
Think of it as the ultimate road tripper.
So this brings us to today.
Enter the first ever 2024 Toyota
Grand Highlander.
I have been waiting a long time for this moment.
Grand Highlander has been a hard secret to keep
because this vehicle delivers.
It may share a name with its sibling, but it has a unique identity
and a character that clearly sets it apart.
But I'll leave it to the experts to give you all the details.
I'd like to invite up Kevin Hunter, president of CALTY,
who led the design for this first ever Grand Highlander.
Thanks, Lisa.
Hello everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight.
I'm really excited to be here to talk about the design of the all
new Grand Highlander. Because North America is the primary market,
CALTY was tasked with creating the design direction
for the interior and exterior,
and it was truly a global design effort.
Our design team in Newport Beach, California, worked closely
with the Toyota Development Group in Japan for the initial design phase.
And then that same group refined and finalized the production version.
Now, our primary goal for Grand Highlander was to be authentic
to our customers needs for a great three row passenger room and utility
while staying true to the solid, active purpose
of a spacious Toyota SUV.
Now, this is a key design sketch that we created during the initial design
phase that expresses both stability and dynamism.
All Toyota SUVs are designed to look active and athletic.
This is because our customers actually use them
to complement their active, adventurous lifestyles.
You'll notice a stable axis through the cabin,
the beltline and body core,
while the wheel flares look bold and dynamic.
We applied the term active simplicity
while capturing a tone of confidence, strength and athleticism
To unify style consistency across the Toyota brand,
we base the front design of Grand Highlander and what we call the Hammerhead
design theme, which can be seen on our newest vehicles
and the bold tapezoidal hex shape
lower grille is also consistent with our Toyota SUV lineup.
Now, it's probably no
big surprise that car designers love big wheels,
so I'm really excited when the engineers share our same passion.
And Lisa even asked for 20 inch wheels and we delivered.
The interior is characterized by smart functionality and simplicity
while expressing the open comfort and warmth sophistication
of a refined modern living room.
We made the third row seating,
comfort and convenience a high priority.
Accessibility, along with the seating position
and legroom, space can comfortably handle adults for extended trips,
and there's even a convenient grab handle
to assist with easy entry and a large flat hand pad to support exiting.
And the bold 12.3 inch display is front and center,
and the HVAC controls are smartly integrated
with the display for easy quick access.
Wireless phone charging is located in the center console,
while dual ports are conveniently placed in all three rows.
So everyone can be plugged in.
And there's also a handy phone storage shelf and power
port in the instrument panel for the front passenger.
We also took extra care in designing handy storage
compartments in the center console to smartly manage
all the important things and adventurous family needs to carry,
even accommodating all the latest drink container sizes.
In the interior, color palettes and harmonization
were designed with our customers lifestyle in mind,
and the key design terms that
we used were inviting and optimistic, which expresses
a light modern image.
Luxury and comfort which communicates rich premium tones, while bold and stylish,
is mysteriously alluring with contrasting bronze accents.
Now the overall effect is a first ever grand highlander
that looks suave, capable and authentic to our customers needs.
A modern SUV that has sophistication along with smart functionality.
That's prime for road trips and adventure with family and friends.
And I'm personally looking forward
to seeing them on the road later this year.
And I invite you all to check out all the great features
and design of the Grand Highlander.
Thanks again for being here.
Greatly appreciate it.
And now I'm going to hand it back over to Lisa.
Thank you.
All right.
Well, thank you, Kevin,
and kudos to you and your team for designing this amazing vehicle.
We know that once it's designed, the next step is to hand it over to engineering.
And we're very excited to have Grand Highlander's chief engineer
here with us today.
So thank you, Craig Payne.
Another great story
for Grand Highlander is that it will be produced in the US exclusively
at our Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Princeton, Indiana.
With over 7000 team members in total and nearly 14 years of experience
with Highlander, we are confident Grand Highlander will also be a success.
TMMI’s Plant President Leah Curry was gracious enough to join us here as well.
So thank you, Leah.
We think you'll all agree
that the spaciousness of the Grand Highlander is the selling point.
This vehicle is road trip ready.
In fact, Grand Highlander's interior package is on par with full size SUVs.
The fact that I can fit seven pieces of luggage in the cargo area
and my in-laws in the third row at the same time.
Well, that's kind of amazing.
And I think the six extra inches of leave
room over the current Highlander third row will be an easy sell.
But the comfortable interior
and that gorgeous exterior are not the only selling points.
Grand Highlander performs too.
Our portfolio approach to powertrains allows the customer
to choose the technology that best suits their lives.
We'll offer three different powertrains across three grades.
The spirited and well-balanced 2.4 liter turbo gas engine,
the efficiency leading 2.5 liter hybrid
and for the performance seeking,
a 362 horsepower Hybrid MAX system.
In fact, Grand Highlander with Hybrid Max
is the most powerful and spacious Toyota mid SUV ever!
When it comes to handling,
Grand Highlander can take on any road trip.
With a smooth response in stop and go city traffic, to a powerful
and controlled backroad driving experience for those long distance escapes.
Grand Highlander dominates traditional hybrid SUVs.
Overall, Grand Highlander offers our customers
an array of options for their lives and their driving habits.
All wheel drive is available on gas
and hybrid engines in standard on Hybrid Max.
Now in an effort to provide an elevated experience at any price point,
Grand Highlander comes in XLE, Limited, and Platinum grades.
All grades include our new audio multimedia system with a standard 12.3
inch touchscreen, as well as the latest
Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.
The Highlander nameplate launched the unibody
midsize SUV trend that became the industry norm.
This extended three row model takes the Highlander legacy
to an entirely new space and continues our promise to deliver
on electrification options for our customers.
As you all know, we are constantly adding and evolving our ever
growing electrified lineup with Grand Highlander
that brings our total to 21 hybrid models
across the Toyota and the Lexus lineups.
And to play up that road trip theme even more,
we're excited to share our new partnership with Nintendo for the launch.
When Grand Highlander
hits dealerships this summer, we'll give 500 customers
in Nintendo Switch OLED System and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game. A game system
that, just like Grand Highlander, is designed to fit their on the go life.
We created a one off Grand Highlander show vehicle with Nintendo games
to celebrate the partnership, and so you can experience the roominess
for yourself so please check it out in the other room.
All right. Well, thanks for joining us.
Now, I'd like to invite you to get a closer look at all
three of our all new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlanders.
Thank you!