To say the Innova is one of the most important models Toyota makes is an understatement. It’s not just a best-seller here in the Philippines, but it’s been a smash hit across Southeast Asia and India as well. It’s no surprise then that Japan’s biggest automaker is hyping it up through loads of teasers.
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The past couple of teasers came from Indonesia with the most recent one showing a part of its interior. This time around, we get a 10-second preview from Toyota India. Much like before, we see shadowy glimpses of the exterior, along with its light signatures. However, the short video from India also mentions a bold claim. They said it’s, “The All-new HY of SUV Style”.
The question now is this: Will the next Toyota Innova be more SUV than MPV?
Okay, perhaps SUV is pushing it a bit, but the next-gen Innova has several ingredients that can make it a crossover. After all, the HY is a play on the word Hycross, a name Toyota trademarked earlier this year. Although unconfirmed, it is said that it no longer rides on a Hilux-based chassis. Instead, there is a strong chance that the Innova will swap to a more car-like unibody chassis. That said, the teaser provides a hint that the upcoming MPV (sorry, SUV) will have a beefier exterior.
We see a clearer look of the headlights this time around, along with a more defined crease on the bumper corner. However, another angle shows a section of its fender with extended flares and what appears to be more ground clearance. That should be promising given that the current model already has decent clearance at 178mm.
There’s another part of the new Innova we’re seeing for the first time in this preview. The teaser quickly flashed the rear section and gave a glimpse of the tail lights. In some ways, it’s an evolution of the current model with its high-set, wraparound design that also reminds us of the Rush. With those visual cues in mind, our render of the next-gen model might just be on point with the real deal.
As for other things we know so far about the Innova, Toyota has pretty much confirmed hybrid power being one of the powertrain options available for it. It is yet to be known if the automaker will also offer a non-hybrid version of the Innova as well.
