Last year, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) brought back the Lite Ace to cater to the mobility demand in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). But the company is showcasing that the light commercial vehicle (CV) can do so much more than that by teaming up with Basa Bookstore.
Toyota partnered with Basa Bookstore to mobilize the Lakbay-Kuwentuhan
The Toyota Lite Ace is tasked to deliver books to children under the Lakbay-Kuwentuhan, an educational campaign and storytelling caravan. In the first leg of the campaign, the vehicle toured different provinces to raise awareness about the importance of education among Filipino children and encourage them to read books.
“When we started the book-giving caravan amidst a pandemic and after Typhoon Ulysses, Toyota was eager to support our cause,” said Basa Bookstore Founder and Chief Storytelling Officer Rey Bufi.
This year alone, the campaign aims to give away 5,000 books to public schools, reach 10,000 students, and facilitate 20 storytelling workshops for 1,000 public school teachers across the country. Last February, the caravan traveled around South Luzon including Laguna, Quezon, and Albay, among others.
5,000 books are expected to be given away in 2023
The book-hauling operations are being made possible with the Lite Ace’s 1.5-liter 2NR-VE inline-4 gasoline engine also found in the Veloz and Avanza. It is capable of generating 97 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque. As standard, the engine is connected to a 5-speed manual transmission.
With over 2,430 km traveled, the Toyota Lite Ace helped Basa Bookstore to reach 12 communities, as well as serve more than 3,000 students. The campaign has also conducted three workshops and given six storytelling sessions in its last caravan.
“Part of promoting better quality of life for Filipinos is nurturing young minds and providing them with the tools for continuous earning. We at TMP believe that all children deserve quality education as this will prepare them for their future and help mold them into the person they hope to become,” said TMP Assistant Vice President of Marketing Services Department Elvin Luciano.
The Toyota Lite Ace is on an important mission
The Toyota Lite Ace is available in various configurations, with the caravan utilizing the Panel Van variant. Other configurations offered by TMP include Pickup, Cargo, and FX.
Get the latest from your favorite automakers at Philkotse.com.
Know more about Toyota Lite Ace 2024
The Toyota Lite Ace is a light commercial vehicle. It was introduced to the local market by Toyota Motor Philippines on July 15, 2022, and it comes in August with different variants. The Lite Ace Panel Van retails at Php 695,000. The Lite Ace Pickup truck is then priced at Php 645,000. The Aluminum Cargo Van then has a price tag of Php 699,000, while the most expensive variant is the FX Utility Van at Php 747,000.
Powering the Toyota Lite Ace is a 1.5-liter inline-4 gasoline engine. At maximum, it can make up to 94 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque.
Size-wise, the Panel Van is 4,045mm long, 1,665mm wide, and 1,930mm in height. The Pickup truck variant meanwhile, is 4,195mm long, 1,675 wide, and 1,920mm tall. The FX utility, then has a length of 4,300mm, a width of 1,675mm, and a height of 2,015. The largest Lite Ace variant is the Cargo utility van, which spans 4,370mm long, 1,675mm wide, and 2,165mm in height.
Locally, the 2023 Toyota Lite Ace competes against the likes of the Suzuki Carry, Mitsubishi L300, Kia K2500, and Isuzu Travis, among others.
Toyota Lite Ace Launch
Initially, the Lite Ace name was released globally way back in 1970. It then enjoyed a great deal of popularity as a simple but capable people carrier in the Philippines from the 1980s to the 1990s.
More recently in July 2022, TMP revived the famed name as a light commercial vehicle. It comes in four forms: a panel van, a pickup truck, an aluminum cargo van, and an FX utility van.
Toyota Lite Ace Exterior
On the outside, the Philippine-spec Lite Ace assumes a simple box-like design equipped with 14-inch steel wheels, halogen headlamps, and halogen taillights. Its front end looks similar to the original Lite Ace as it also comes with a slanting wedge shape.
The pickup truck in particular features a flat bed with dropside capability. The panel van meanwhile has power side and rear doors.
Toyota Lite Ace Interior
As a simple logistics-focused ride, the Lite Ace gets a simple front cabin. Its dash is mostly made of durable plastic, though it has some niceties like cupholders and ample elbowroom. It also has manual air-conditioning, as well as manually adjustable PVC-clad seats.
Technology & Safety Features
For safety, the Lite Ace comes standard with dual front airbags and antilock braking. Both trims also come with seat belts and a steering lock. Only the panel van though, gets stability control.
Toyota Lite Ace Chassis
The all-new Lite Ace falls under the S-series of models just like the Japanese-spec S400 series Lite Ace and Town Ace. Like the model sold in other markets, it also assumes a semi-cab-over-engine body.
For suspensions, the Panel van gets a Macpherson strut for the front, and a five-link type for the rear. The pickup truck version meanwhile, uses leaf springs for the rear.
Toyota Lite Ace Engine
Powering the 2023 Toyota Lite Ace is a 1.5-liter inline-4 engine. This is the same 2NR-VE that the Avanza and Veloz use, though it was detuned to produce up to 94 horsepower and 134 Nm of torque.
All trims of the new Lite Ace are rear-wheel-drive, and they all use a five-speed manual gearbox.
For the Philippine market, the Toyota Lite Ace’s sole color option is White 2.
The Toyota Lite Ace’s features are largely on-par with other similarly sized light commercial vehicles in the market. It also sits in the middle of the pack in terms of power output, with some models being able to trump it solely because they are diesel-powered and have more torque. Hopefully, Toyota PH can also release more variants for the Lite Ace as it only has two currently.
Toyota Lite Ace Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
₱ 645,000 - ₱ 737,000
Explore
Recent posts
- Cleanfuel gives Toyota Raize raffle prize Apr 03, 2023
- Toyota PH free vehicle inspection Mar 31, 2023
- Toyota PH 21st Triple Crown Mar 29, 2023
