Toyota Malaysia teases new ‘Beyond Zero’ model, is it the Harrier HEV?

UMW Toyota Motor has teased that a new Toyota model is on its way to Malaysia soon via a Facebook post with a caption, “Prepare for an elevated presence. The next level of your journey awaits.”

Together with the post is a teaser image of what appears to be the new Toyota model, looking at its left side at a downward angle. The attached teaser image also has the “Beyond Zero” tagline. The tagline suggests that the new model could be either a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV), a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), or a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV).

Judging by the image, the assumption is that the new model would be the Toyota Harrier HEV variant, as the current Toyota Harrier only comes with a petrol-only 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine in Malaysia. The Toyota Harrier HEV is available in Singapore, equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II (THS-II). The THS-II for 2.5-liter engines excels in both power and fuel-economy performance due to the synergistic effect of size-reducing, weight-reducing, and loss-reducing technologies. The Toyota Harrier HEV is powered by the 2.5-litre 4-cylinder Dynamic Force Engine. The new engine has a maximum thermal efficiency of 41%, thw world’s highest in mass-production gasoline engines.

Launched back in 2022, the Toyota Harrier in Malaysia only comes in one variant, powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine, producing max. power of 217 PS and 203 Nm of max. torque. Being a completely built-up unit from Japan, the Toyota Harrier is priced at RM 274,000 OTR excluding insurance, and comes with a 5-year, unlimited mileage vehicle warranty.

Of course, after the launch of the Perodua Traz, we are anticipating the launch of a new Toyota Yaris Cross HEV. However, it is clear from the teaser image that the shoulder line does not match the Toyota Yaris Cross HEV.