Toyota FT-4X Concept is Closer to Production Than You Think

Toyota has said the FT-4X Concept is 75-percent production ready.

The Toyota FT-4X Concept recently made its debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show, and while many were hoping it would be a proper FJ Cruiser successor, it turns out the FT-4X Concept isn’t geared towards off-road enthusiasts. Arguments about the concept aside, chief designer Ian Cartabiano confirmed to  that Toyota’s Calty studio always aims for their concepts to be at the 75-percent stage, adding that if Toyota can produce the C-HR, it can produce the FT-4X. The Japanese automaker is sill waiting to see what the reaction is before making a decision.

SEE ALSO: Toyota FT-4X Concept is Not the FJ Cruiser Successor You Were Hoping For

Cartabiano is also the designer behind the C-HR, and shared some insights on how he would compare the two vehicles: “Being the designer of the C-HR, I always imagined [it] as the city mouse, with the FT-4X as the country mouse. They’re very similar, but this car has more interior volume, and more usable space. Its mission is different.”

He also touched on how the FT-4X isn’t intended to be a successor to the FJ Cruiser, saying the FT-4X Concept is “not a Moab rock crawling car.” As for how it came to be, the Calty team spoke to millennials and found they weren’t interested in climbing Everest, but in visiting Joshua Tree, camping at Yosemite or checking out Death Valley. That’s when the design team decided to change its focus from “hardcore to casual core” – much to the disappointment of FJ Cruiser enthusiasts.

[Source: CarAdvice]