Tag Archives: Toyota

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One


The Land Cruiser 70 Series Is Special in a Unique Way

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998584

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998584

To put it into context, the 70 series is nearly four decades old and came out in 1984, the same year that Apple debuted its Macintosh, the Cosby Show was a ratings winner, and Bruce Springsteen was performing Dancing in the Dark.

What this 70 really is, is a no-nonsense off-roader with just the essentials and not much else.

These days, every other cross-over is being splashed on with Body cladding and touted as an SUV, but the 70 Series is what a REAL SUV looks like.

I mean ask yourself, how many of you would actually take your prized Porsche Cayenne, or BMW X5, or even a Range Rover, mud-plugging?

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998585

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998585

With something like the 70, you wouldn’t think twice about heading off-road. Surprisingly, in keeping with the times, the 70s boxy design has aged well, and thankfully the Boxy form factor really is coming back. I mean take a look at the new Ford Bronco and the Land Rover Defender.

How the Land Cruiser 70 Series came about

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998589

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998589

The Toyota Land Cruiser had already established a good reputation as a rugged, no-nonsense 4WD vehicle that could be relied on in the world’s most hostile climates. There were limitations to what could be done to upgrade its predecessor, the 40-series models.

As a result, Toyota’s Chief Engineer back then, Masaomi Yoshii overhauled the design and had to adhere to these rules. What resulted was the 70-series, which led the Land Cruiser into a new generation. It has been in dealerships in several parts of the world since then.

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998590

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998590

Toyota widened the LandCruiser’s design brief to include more comfortable family-friendly station wagons (the 55 Series and then 60 Series), leaving the 40 Series vehicles as the range’s sole workhorses. And it was in this capacity that the 70 Series stepped in.

What’s So Special About the Land Cruiser 70 Series?

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998604

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998604

Toyota’s 70 Series really is part of a long-running line of vehicles that completes the workhorse end of the LandCruiser lineup. It might be functional and utilitarian, but they certainly are dependable and easy to fix. Ask someone who takes the things in the bush. They really do swear by them,

There are a number of tried and tested gas or diesel engines. There are several body styles to choose from. It is, therefore, best to think of the 70 Series as a family of cars rather than a standalone vehicle. 

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998588

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998588

It has all of the off-road capabilities of a typical Land Cruiser minus the extravagance and luxury features that we are so spoilt for these days.

The vehicle is legendary for its toughness and the design is so good that the 70 has been in series production without being overhauled since 1984. That is a staggering 37 years.

To keep it relevant in modern times, Toyota has updated the 70 with safety and tech over the years, like Airbags and ABS. Even a five-speed manual gearbox was finally added with a taller fifth gear back in 2017 to further refine the experience from behind the wheel.

Where can you get one?

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998599

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998599

Today, Toyota still sells both SUV and pickup variants of the 70 Series in countries like the UAE, Australia, and many parts of the world. People in Dubai for example can still get a brand new one for as little as $38,600. Another fan favorite, theFJ Cruiser, which Toyota discontinued in the United States in 2014, is still available in the UAE.

Africa is another favorite destination for the Land Cruiser 70 Series. In South Africa for instance, pickup variants of the 79 Series based on the 70 Series are still available, notably last year’s Namib edition. Also, in some South American markets, such as Venezuela, you can still purchase a Land Cruiser 70.

Why didn’t the 70 make it here?

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998587

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998587

Back in the day, following the end of production of the classic FJ40, Toyota split the Land Cruiser lineage in two. The four-door FJ60 wagon, that remained on the American market and the LC series. However the 70 Series – a more direct replacement for the FJ40 — was one iconic model that the American market never got. As such, it is possibly the most enticing vehicle for US Land Cruiser fans — at least until we learn when the new 300 Series Land Cruiser will be available here.

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998592

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998592

While it’s a shame the J70 Cruiser never made it to the United States, Toyota had its fair share of reasons. Due to emissions regulations, it wasn’t made available in either the United States or Europe. However, it is available in much of the rest of the world. The most obvious one being is that the automaker already sells a bare-bones, very durable, smaller SUV in the United States. The Toyota 4Runner.

Final Thoughts

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998594

Toyota Still Makes This Nearly Four-Decade Old Land Cruiser, and we Never Got One Exterior - image 998594

Many four-wheel drives have a long model cycle, but no one could have imagined that the 70 Series would still be in production in 2021 when it was introduced nearly four decades ago. Toyotas formula took the approach of why fix something that ain’t broke with this one and it definitely seems to have worked. Since the car has been around for this long, would it be a good candidate for an EV resto-mod conversion by importing an example over 25 years old? Let us know in the comments below.

Here’s Paul Maric from Car Expert YouTube Channel take us on an in-depth tour of the Land Cruiser 70 series.

Toyota Expanding Indiana Assembly Line, Adding Two New SUVs

Toyota is moving production of the Sequoia to Texas and bringing two new three-row SUVs to its Indiana plant.

Toyota Motor will add two new, three-row SUVs to its already large line-up of sport-utility vehicles, the automaker announced.

Though Toyota revealed only a few details, it indicated one of the new models will be sold through the Toyota division, the other through Lexus. To bring them online, meanwhile, the Japanese giant plans to invest $803 million to upgrade its plant in Princeton, Indiana.

Since it was opened in 1998, Toyota has spent $6.6 billion on the Princeton factory, known as TMMI. It currently produces three Toyota-branded light trucks, the full-size Sequoia, the latest-generation Sienna minivan that is produced solely as a hybrid, and the Highlander SUV which is produced both in hybrid and conventional gas versions.

The plant soon will have a bit more space available, even without the upgrade. Production of the Sequoia model will be transferred to Toyota’s San Antonio plant in 2022. That’s part of a broader shift in its manufacturing footprint coinciding with the launch of a new Alabama factory that will operate as a joint venture with Mazda.

New SUVs will target growing families

Toyota Indiana plant (TMMI) exterior

Toyota is investing $803 million into its Princeton, Indiana plant to build two new large SUVs.

The new models going into TMMI will be “designed with the active Gen Y American family in mind,” Toyota officials said, meaning they will be offered with three rows and seating for up to eight. Today, the flagship brand offers four different three-row SUVs, the Highlander, 4Runner, Land Cruiser and Sequoia. Lexus offers three rows in its LX, GX and RX utility vehicles.

Both new models will be “electrified,” though Toyota did not say whether that means conventional hybrids, like the Highlander, or more advanced plug-in hybrids like the RAV4 Prime. Neither of the new models is expected to offer an all-electric drivetrain, though the automaker announced in February plans to introduce three battery-electric vehicles for the U.S. market by mid-decade. At that point, Toyota previously said, it expects to offer electrified options for virtually every product in its line-up.

“This investment and new vehicle lineup will allow us to continue our work with electrification, expand our portfolio to about 70 models globally by 2025, and meet the needs of our customers while we accelerate toward carbon neutrality,” Ted Ogawa, CEO of Toyota Motor America, said in a statement.

Toyota’s Indiana plant produces the Highlander and Sienna before adding the two new vehicles.

Plenty of tech for Gen Y buyers

The new SUVs will use some of Toyota’s newest technologies, starting with a smartphone-as-key system allowing a motorist to operate it through an app, rather than a conventional keyfob.

The app also will allow the new models to park remotely, letting a driver exit before trying to squeeze the SUV into a tight space. And while it is unclear where the technology will first be used, the SUVs also will “allow for hands-free driving in certain conditions.” That sounds similar to semi-autonomous technologies now coming to market such as Tesla’s Autopilot, General Motors’ Super Cruise and the upcoming Ford Blue Cruise. Toyota has not offered details, such as whether it will charge a subscription fee as its competitors do.

Toyota has invested heavily in autonomous vehicle research and this week revealed it will buy the self-driving vehicle arm of ride-sharing service Lyft for $550 million.

The plans for the TMMI plant are expected to create another 1,400 jobs. This also will mark the first time a Lexus model will be built at the factory.

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Toyota’s Akio Toyoda Chosen 2021 World Car Person of the Year

Toyoda

Selected 2021 World Car Awards Person of the Year was Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) president and CEO.

Toyoda

“Akio Toyoda is the charismatic President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. He has spent years successfully remaking his company. In 2020 despite COVID-19, under his leadership Toyota remained profitable, protecting jobs worldwide. He has maintained Toyota’s steady pace of development in the connected, autonomous, shared and electric (CASE) era. He has also initiated construction of the Woven City, an exciting, real-life prototype city of the future. All while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver,” said the World Car Awards in a statement.

Toyoda said, “At Toyota, we are very fortunate that we were able to protect the employment of our team members during COVID-19 and continue our work to meet the future challenge of our industry. Creating new ways to support the well-being of our planet and people everywhere is our commitment. This has been a difficult period in the history of the world. But it has also reminded us that people are what matters most. And if we at Toyota can contribute some measure of happiness to their lives, it will be my never-ending goal to do just that.”

Toyoda

Toyota joined the company in 1984, after graduating with a law degree from Keio University. He also received a masters in business administration from Wellesley, Massachusetts’ Babson College. Toyoda served in different areas of the business in Japan and overseas, before becoming a member of the TMC board of directors in 2000. He held other senior and executive vice-presidential roles until becoming TMC president in 2009.

Toyoda The World Car Person of the Year award was established in 2018 to acknowledge the contributions made by an individual in the auto industry during the previous year. The World Car Awards program hands out six awards annually, which they started doing in 2003. A group of more than 90 journalists, none of whom are a part of TheTruthAboutCars.com, made the selection.

[Images: Toyota, Babson College]

Toyota, Lexus Rolling Out New Online Sales Programs

Toyota is making the buying process easier and more transparent with its new SmartPath program.

Analyst after analyst said that 2020 would leave an indelible mark on the automotive industry, specifically how new cars, trucks and utility vehicles are sold. Toyota and its luxury unit, Lexus, are proving them right.

Each company unveiled new retail “experiences” today, Toyota with “SmartPath” and Lexus its “Monogram” program. The goal is to allow potential buyers a flexible experience starting with the internet, giving them as much or as little “personal” touch as they desire.

“Our goal is to ensure we create the best experience for our customers and our dealers,” said Jack Hollis, senior vice president, Automotive Operations, TMNA. “As our customers’ expectations evolve, SmartPath provides our dealers the technology to exceed those expectations. Our shared mission is to make the experience of shopping, buying, and owning a Toyota as easy and carefree as driving one.”

(Nissan taking lead in online new vehicle sales.)

The Japanese automaker isn’t going it alone in this area. Most automakers have offered some form of online shopping for several years now; however, there are some automakers that are bulking up their online sales programs, notably Nissan.

Nissan revealed its new online sales program in late December. Called “Nissan@Home,” the process allows buyers to handle everything online from test drive to delivery. It tested the program at seven dealerships to work out the kinks before moving to a nationwide offering.

Toyota may have recognized the trend to toward growing internet sales early as it began piloting SmartPath in 2019, but the automaker recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic “accelerated consumer demand for digital transactions.” The company noted a recent survey showed that two out of three shoppers are more likely to purchase a vehicle online.

Monogram, the Lexus program, just as is the case with SmartPath allows buyers to start their buying process online. The system is designed to be transparent in order to make the process easier for the potential new owner as well as dealership personnel.

Both programs are currently in what’s best described as an expanded pilot phase. It’s available in several markets, at least 50 in the U.S., with plans to continue expanding it throughout the year. The flexibility of starting with the internet, but inviting an actual person in at any point in the process seems to fit with exactly what buyers want these days.

(Used cars booming, Honda takes aim at retailers like CarMax, Carvana.)

Automakers should get used to it, according to a recent study by Gartner Research. Currently less than 1% of all sales are completed online, that number is expected to jump to 20% within five years.

Lexus is also rolling out a new online shopping program. It’s named its version “Monogram.”

Mercedes-Benz, Ford, General Motors and other automakers all referenced significant upticks in internet-based sales in the last year.

However, a trend isn’t a majority necessarily. According to Deloitte’s newest report, the 2021 Global Automotive Consumer Study, release in mid-January, the number of people buying vehicles online during the pandemic was done more out of necessity than preference.

Seventy-one percent of U.S. vehicle buyers prefer an “in-person sales experience,” the study revealed. This biggest part of that is 75% want to see and touch the vehicle before they buy it, with 64% needed some time behind the wheel as well.

“Unlike many other retail sectors that have seen a wholesale shift to online buying, purchasing a vehicle remains a largely personal experience for many consumers,” said Karen Bowman, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. automotive sector leader.

“However, some people will be looking for a virtual sales experience to maximize convenience, speed and ease of use. This will likely result in a more complicated, and potentially costly, set of consumer expectations for dealers to meet at a time when businesses are looking to recover and thrive in the wake of the pandemic.”

(Pandemic may not have changed car buying habits of consumers.)

One area where U.S. consumers were happy to see handled via the internet was vehicle service. The ability to get online and have your car or SUV picked up by a dealer at home or work was appealing with 46% of respondents in favor of that type of interaction — provided it is free.

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Japan Joins Growing List of Countries Set to Ban Sales of Gas-Powered Vehicles

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga supports the move to ban the sale of non-electric new vehicles staring in 2035.

Despite strong pushback from the country’s largest automaker, Japan has announced plans to halt the sale of vehicles relying solely on internal combustion engines after 2035.

The move means the Asian nation will join a growing list of countries planning to phase out vehicles powered by gas or diesel, including both the United Kingdom and Norway. A number of other countries, including France and Germany, are considering similar bans.

Vehicles with internal combustion engines won’t be banned entirely. Automakers will still be able to market hybrids in Japan, regulators ruled. Even so, the plan released on Christmas Day was a significant victory for Japanese environmentalists considering it was strongly opposed by key industry leaders, including Toyota President Akio Toyoda who warned earlier this month that a broad shift to electric vehicles could cause the auto industry’s traditional business model “to collapse.”

(Toyota boss Akio Toyoda remains EV skeptic.)

Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s top officer, is against the ban.

As the head of Japan’s largest and most powerful company – and in his role as the head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association – Toyoda hoped to convince regulators to back off on the proposed ban. But it had widespread backing from other quarters, including Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

In October, shortly after assuming his post, Suga had pledged to cut Japan’s carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050 while indicating he supported a shift to battery-powered vehicles.

Global sales of electrified vehicles remain modest, running in single digits in all but a handful of markets, even when including hybrids, PHEVs and fuel-cell vehicles, as well as pure battery-electric vehicles. But demand is expected to increase sharply as key obstacles, such as range, cost and public charging, are addressed. It also will help that scores of new BEVs are scheduled to go into production in the coming years, proponents say.

While Japanese automakers were pioneers with their early push to bring hybrids to market, “Japan is very far behind” in terms of developing more advanced products relying solely on battery power, Masayoshi Arai, an official with the country’s

Nissan is one of a few Japanese automakers dedicating resources to a move to EVs.

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said last week.

Toyota only recently introduced a BEV model in Europe, though it has announced plans to add two more – one through the flagship Toyota division, a second under the Lexus badge. It also this month revealed an all-electric microcar targeting the Japanese home market. Only the Nissan and Mitsubishi brands, among Japanese automakers, have committed significant resources to the development of pure battery-electric vehicles and, even then, they have fallen behind key foreign rivals in terms of bringing new products to market.

(Toyota hopes to boost interest in hydrogen tech with second-generation Mirai.)

Toyota officials have, throughout the years, pointed to numerous concerns about BEVs, including their cost, limited range and other obstacles to widespread consumer acceptance. For his part, company chief Toyoda said this month that he feared a switch to all-electric models would seriously disrupt the classic automotive industry business model. He also raised questions about whether Japan’s electric grid could supply the needed energy — and, if it did add the generating capacity, he warned, that could actually increase the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.

With the debut of the 2021 Mirai fuel-cell vehicle, Toyota’s hoping to spur interest in the tech again.

For his part, Japan’s new prime minister is downplaying such concerns and said that efforts to address greenhouse gas production “should be tackled as a strategy for growth, not as a limitation on growth.”

Downplaying the need for new coal or natural gas plants, the plan released by the Japanese government would add up to 45 gigawatts of new offshore wind generating capacity by 2040.

With the Christmas Day announcement, Japan becomes the second member of the Group of Seven, or G7, to lay out specific plans to ban non-electrified vehicles.

The UK originally had planned to do so by 2040 but now has pushed that target date up to 2030. Like Japan, its ban will continue to permit the sale of hybrids – but only through 2035, at which point only pure, zero-emissions vehicles will be able to be sold in Great Britain. That will include both BEVs and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

Despite its reticence about EVs, Toyota rolled out a new battery-electric car Dec. 25: the C+pod.

A handful of other countries, including Norway, have also laid out ZEV transition plans. So have some states and regions – including California and the Canadian province of British Columbia. A number of cities, such as London, Paris, Berlin and Mexico City, plan to bar vehicles not running in zero-emissions mode, meanwhile. China, meanwhile, has laid out plans to have “New Energy Vehicles,” plug-based models, reach 20% of the market by 2025. It is considering a total ban at a later date.

(Britain to ban sale of all new gas and diesel cars by 2030.)

With most of the country’s automakers reluctant to bring plug-based models to market, demand has grown far more slowly than in many other major regions. The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade noted that consumers purchased only 6,000 PHEVs and BEVs during the third quarter of 2020. By comparison, demand tripled in Europe to 270,000 – all-electric models accounting for roughly three-quarters of Norwegian sales. China, meanwhile, is expected to again top 1 million plug-based models for all of 2020.

A Week With: 2020 Toyota Prius XLE

The 2020 Toyota Prius XLE offers good, green transportation for buyers.

The Prius has been around for a long time, going back to the end of the last century when its introduction forever changed the way consumers and manufacturers look at powertrains by using batteries and electric motors.

This little hybrid began the slow but inexorable shift away from gasoline-driven automobiles that has spurred the development and production of vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt and, of course, Tesla’s entire line-up.

Overall: For anyone still interested in fuel economy, the 2020 Toyota Prius XLE is still a champ with combined 50 mpg rating from the Environmental Protection Agency. However, once considered pricey, the Toyota Prius now carries a relatively modest sticker price by today’s standards.

(Toyota marks 20th anniversary of “The Car That Changed an Industry” with special edition Prius.)

The new Prius still features one of the most recognizable exterior shapes in the market.

In fact, it is well below the average of vehicles sold in the United States of $31,755. It’s also proven to be durable and appears to have captured – or at least earned permanent place – the hearts of American motorists, which belies all the millions of words of snark and criticism sent its way throughout the years.

Its zero to 60 time remains mired, we would guess, in the double-digit range. But it is versatile and still really is one of the greenest of green vehicles on the road after all these years, getting better than 56 miles per gallon in the city.

Exterior: The five-door hatchback shape of the Prius makes it easily one of the most recognizable vehicles on the road. Even people who couldn’t care less about automobile design can recognize a Prius almost instantly.

“…Say what you will about its exterior shape, it is one of the few designs of the past two decades to have carved out a distinctive niche in automotive lore…”

That said, the face of 2020 Toyota Prius has been altered to give the car a more contemporary look. There also LED lights and the wheel have been dressed up, providing the car with more curb appeal.

The Prius comes complete with plenty of technology, including Apple CarPlay integrated into the infotainment system.

Interior: At its heart, the Prius is a compact car. But the interior also is comfortable, and the controls and the center stack is within easy reach of the driver’s seat. The materials used throughout the cabin of this version of the Prius has been upgraded from past when the interior had the distinct aura of cost cutting that worked against the vehicle’s technical virtues.

The seats are supportive with the rear seats being quite usable. The car’s interior is quite versatile with fold-down seats that increase the car’s capacity for carrying cargo or extra luggage and the area under the hatch can even accommodate a set of golf clubs. The visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent. However, the security shade that covers the cargo area tends to interfere visibility.

(Q&A: Toyota’s hydrogen chief Jackie Birdsall.)

Powertrain: Toyota has been tinkering with the hybrid drive system that utilizes nickel-metal hydride batteries, electric motors and a 1.8-liter double overhead cam four-cylinder engine. In the 2020 Prius XLE, the basic front-wheel-drive layout has been augmented by an electronic all-wheel-drive system.

The Prius offers plenty of room for five passengers.

Overall the system produces 121 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque. The 2020 Prius can operate solely on electric power in slow traffic for short distances. However, once the speed picks up, Synergy drive, unique to Toyota, is designed to connect the gasoline engine, electric motor and generator into one operating unit.

Safety and Technology: The 2020 Toyota Prius XLE that we drove was loaded with technology and safety features For 2020, the Prius offers Bluetooth a new Toyota Audio 7-inch Touch-Screen Display on L Eco, LE and XLE, new Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa Compatibility standard on all model grades and newly standard Safety Connect on all grades.

The rear passenger seats also have been equipped with USB ports. The safety equipment on the XLE includes driver assistance features such as lane-keeping and blind-spot monitoring and pedestrian alert. The XLE version I drove also came with a head-up display and automatic headlines that turn on dark roads and off when there is oncoming traffic.

Driving Impressions: Throughout the years, Prius has come under fire due to complaints about its sluggish performance. We found the 2020 Toyota Prius XLE is still rather sluggish in certain situations on the highway.

The powertrain performed well. There is plenty of torque, coming off a standing start and the regenerative brakes add stopping power and the shifts are seem virtually invisible because they were so seamless. The steering wasn’t as crisp as in conventional sedan but the Prius delivered a smooth, steady ride and handled curves and varied pavement conditions easily.

(Sales sliding, Toyota rethinks future of the Prius.)

Wrap Up: The Prius has been a mainstay of the Toyota line-up for years and while it may not be th most fashionable passenger car on the road today – and let’s face it, the automotive industry is nothing if not acutely fashion conscious – it has proven itself to be a versatile and reliable vehicle for urban and suburban driving.

The drop in fuel prices has diminished some of its appeal, but it is still one of the most efficient vehicles on the road today. As it prices come come into line with other sedans and crossovers available on dealer lots these days, it does offer the added benefit of being more environmentally friendly than other vehicle choices. The fact that the vehicle introduced years ago and hasn’t been scrapped underscores its durable character.