Foton Sauvana History

The Foton Sauvana (known in some markets as the Toplander) debuted at the 2014 Guangzhou Auto Show and went on sale in China in early 2015. Built on the same ladder-frame platform as the Tunland pickup, it is a body-on-frame mid-size SUV offered in rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, measuring 4,830 mm long on a 2,790 mm wheelbase.

Engine options for the Chinese market included a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4 L four-cylinder petrol (135 hp), with later international variants offering a 2.0 L turbo petrol (201 hp) and a 2.8 L diesel (163 hp). In the Philippines the Sauvana launched as the Foton Toplander in May 2015, positioned as an affordable alternative to the Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Montero Sport in the truck-based SUV segment.

Pricing at launch in China started at approximately 110,000 yuan; Philippine prices ranged from PHP 998,000 to PHP 1,150,000. The model has sold in a handful of other emerging markets, though volumes have remained modest compared to Foton's commercial-vehicle mainstream.