Production FT-4X, are you there?

Toyota applied in December for the trademark 4Active using the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We are now left wondering what Japanese brand will use the name for. Is the 4Active a concept vehicle or a production-bound vehicle. Or, is it both? Toyota applied for the trademark to protect its rights and secure a name it might want to use in the future.

If we were gamblers, we would bet on the 4Active name on a future crossover SUV. Although we don’t have any proof from Toyota, there is plenty of evidence to support the idea.

Toyota is planning to build a new crossover SUV at its Alabama factory. We also know that 4Active is a joint venture with Mazda. It’s especially important if it’s a crossover SUV looking to capitalize on the brand equity of Toyota’s 4Runner.

We believe that the 4Active will try to imitate the Japanese brand’s midsize SUV. This is why we expect the model to eventually be the production version of the FT-4X concept. Although the boxy crossover concept was reminiscent of Toyota’s FJ Cruiser and 4Runner SUVs, it was built on the compact, unibody Toyota New Global Architecture C platform.

Toyota could launch a similar-sized competitor to the CHR and RAV4, as more crossovers are moving in the same direction between compact and subcompact segments (as the Jeep Compass and Kia Seltos), It is unclear if this crossover will be called 4Active once it arrives.