Toyota Kijang
The Toyota Kijang is a series of pickup trucks, station wagons and light commercial vehicles produced and marketed mainly in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India and South Africa by Toyota between 1976 and 2007 under various other names.
The vehicle first entered production in the Philippines as the Toyota Tamaraw in December 1976. It was then introduced in Indonesia in June 1977 as the Kijang, after its unnamed prototype model was showcased in Jakarta in mid-1975. The first two generations were produced from factory as pickup trucks, conversions to other body styles were conducted by local third-party companies. Availability of the model was expanded to more markets since the third-generation model, such as Africa and Taiwan.
The Kijang was relatively affordable in the markets where it was sold when compared to the four-wheel drive vehicles and had high seating capacity, high ground clearance and rugged suspension, popular features in an area with generally poor road conditions and large extended families. It was also designed with ease of manufacture in mind; in 1986, the assembly of the Kijang only cost 42 percent of the cost of assembling the smaller E80 Corolla. It was manufactured as a CKD unit in almost every country it was sold in and many of the parts come from each of the markets in which it was sold.
The name Kijang means muntjac or deer in Indonesian. Due to the varying names used in different countries, the vehicle is internally known as the 'TUV', short for 'Toyota Utility Vehicle'. Fourth-generation models in the Philippines were sold under the Toyota Revo nameplate. The Kijang was also sold in other countries, and is known as the Toyota Qualis in India and Nepal, Toyota Zace in Vietnam and Taiwan, Toyota Unser in Malaysia and Toyota Stallion in Africa for the basic models, with higher specifications labelled Toyota Venture and Toyota Condor in South Africa.
First generation (F10; 1976)
The Kijang prototype was first displayed at the 1975 Jakarta Fair and then entered production in 1977. The name Kijang means muntjac or deer in Indonesian, and is also an acronym for "Kerjasama Indonesia-Jepang". Its development was led by Osamu Ohta with Ohyama as the chief engineer in 1972. The first-generation Kijang is a compact, light pickup truck powered by a carburetted 1.2-litre 3K four-cylinder OHV petrol engine matched to a 4-speed manual transmission. A pickup variant with rear body and roof was also produced. The Kijang Minibus was built by local companies.The Kijang first entered the Indonesian market on 9 June 1977, although it had been on sale in the Philippines since 2 December 1976. It has a boxy design with externally hinged half doors and plastic/canvas windows. Designated KF10, it shared the 3K engine with the 1972 Corolla, coupled to a 4-speed manual transmission. It was colloquially nicknamed 'Kijang Buaya' as the engine bonnet resembled a crocodile's mouth once opened. The KF10 Kijang sold 26,806 units in its 4 years of production when it would be replaced by the second-generation model.
Tamaraw (Philippines)
In the Philippines, the Kijang was sold as the Tamaraw, produced in the 1970s up to early 1980s. Introduced in December 1976, it started as a small ton high-side pick-up with a 1.2-litre 3K engine producing, and was produced by the now-defunct Delta Motors, which assembled Toyota vehicles in the Philippines. It was considered as a "BUV", or "Basic Utility Vehicle". It had a 4-speed manual transmission, and some models had no driver- or front passenger-side doors. Because of its ruggedness and ease of maintenance, even its upgradability, some of these vehicles survive today, and its designs are sometimes copied or modified by local assemblers to this day. It was proven success that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler created their own versions of the BUV, including the two versions of the Pinoy and the Ford Fiera and Chrysler-Mitsubishi Cimarron.The KF10 Tamaraw was also imported and distributed in Papua New Guinea in 1980 by Ela Motors, a division of the Burns Philip Group. The vehicle was renamed to Toyota Traka and was described as "using the same engine as the popular Toyota Corolla, the Traka is a basic utility vehicle capable of carrying a payload of and developing more than 60 hp".
Second generation (F20/F30; 1981)
The second-generation Kijang, launched in June 1981, retained its boxy style although the body panels were different. It is colloquially called the 'Kijang Doyok' in Indonesia. Under its slimmer bonnet was a 1.3-litre 4K engine, which was replaced in December 1985 by a 1.5-litre 5K engine. The only transmission option was a 4-speed manual. With the 5K engine, the power increased from to, both at 5,600 rpm. The 1986 model can be seen from the outside by rectangular headlamps and a redesigned grille. The Kijang started selling very strongly in 1983 and 1984, catching up to erstwhile market leaders such as the Suzuki Super Carry and the Daihatsu Hijet. The more powerful Kijang offered more carrying capacity, while the engine placement made it safer than its cheaper, kei truck-based competitors. In February 1985, the 100,000th Kijang left the production line.In the Philippines, the Tamaraw was also sold as the long-wheelbase F30 series, which was also promoted as an alternative to the jeepney. A local Philippine auto brand, Dragon, later took the designs of the long-wheelbase Tamaraw and marketed it. Pilipinas Nissan bought the designs from Ford for what would have been the Fiera IV and marketed it as the "Bida", which resembles the long-wheelbase Tamaraw.
In South Africa, production of the vehicle commenced in 1982 for the local market. Marketed simply as the TUV, the vehicle was available as a 2-door pickup truck called the TUV Bakkie and with a 10-seater cab called the TUV Stallion. Both are powered by the 1.3-litre 4K engine.
Third generation (F40/F50; 1986)
Introduced in November 1986, the third-generation Kijang was offered in short-wheelbase and long-wheelbase versions. The Kijang was redesigned to be larger and heavier, and no longer prioritised as a pickup truck-based model. The Standard trim level had a 4-speed manual transmission, while the Super variant had a 5-speed manual transmission and a better-equipped interior. Introduced in this generation was "Full Pressed Body" wagon built by companies appointed by Toyota. This technique were applied to reduce usage of putties up to for each car.The Kijang received its first facelift in August 1992. The steering mechanism was changed from recirculating ball to rack and pinion. The wagon model received a right-side rear door and adopted a new name, "Toyota Original Body", instead of "Full Pressed Body". In its creation process, it was fully pressed and used pointed welding. Up to this time, this model can be said as the one and only putty-free Kijang. The trim levels for the wagon model were:
- Standard : a base model with 4-speed manual transmission, 13-inch steel wheels, standard dashboard, and no power features.
- Deluxe : an upgraded version of the base Kijang with a refined dashboard, better quality interior materials, 13-inch steel wheels with covers, single air conditioning, basic audio system with a radio receiver.
- Super G or G-series Kijang : similar to the Deluxe trim, adds power steering and seat belts as standard equipment.
- Grand Extra : the top-of-the-range model with double blower air conditioning, Enkei 14-inch alloy wheels, overfenders, suede-covered door trim and seats, power steering, front power windows, digital clock, tachometer, 4 speaker audio system with a tape deck and radio receiver, alarm and central door locks.
- Rover: Coach-built model with a restyled body resembling the 70-series Land Cruiser available either as a 4-door or 5-door wagon in either short or long wheelbase. Front Reclining seats and folding middle seats are standard on all trims while super variants include headrests, Console Box, and footsteps as standard equipment. Air conditioning and a radio/cassette are available as options. Power steering was later added with the 1992 refresh with the 4-door Rover model subsequently being discontinued and the model name was later changed to "RoverAce" after receiving objections from the British automobile manufacturer Rover.
- Jantan: Higher-end trim variant to the Kijang Rover that was first introduced in executive trim which added wood trim, power windows to all four seats, front and rear air conditioning, 4 speaker audio system, central locking, and alloy wheels. An entry-level G variant and a 4x2 sporty variant was introduced alongside the original executive variant. The 4x2 adds a larger rear door that covers the full width of the vehicle and a door-mounted spare wheel, however it does not have rear air conditioning.
- Kencana : a coach-built model based on Kijang Rover/Jantan with higher roof and higher ground clearance. This model retains the side-opening rear door of low roof models instead of the liftgate received by international high roof models.
- Perkasa: 2-door, coach-built model with a removable fiberglass canopy