Archive for Toyota

Australia is the land of kitted up mid-sized sedans. Toyota’s Aurion is basically our local Toyota Camry, and they have a TRD kit for it now. Someone enterprising should get some PU bodykits modelled after this look real soon, then we can see some really nicely done up Toyota Camrys on our local roads soon. However, they would most likely be all show and no go, unlike this Australian market Toyota Aurion TRD which features a 320hp supercharged 3.5 liter V6 under it’s hood.

Somehow the colour scheme that Toyota Australia’s TRD division chose reminds me alot of the usual Ralliart colour scheme, and Mitsubishi’s latest Lancer also carries a similiar colour scheme, so this ends up looking not very Toyota at all to me.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Aurion TRD – Australian Spec

This lightly disguised Toyota Belta has been sighted doing test rounds around Thailand, and images of it have been circulating around the internet. It was posted in the Automotive Forums by reader stephen_ksf. Have a look at the other two photos after the jump and you will find an undisguised rear shot which carries the VIOS badge on the boot lid. Looks like Thailand will be getting a new Toyota VIOS replacement very soon. The Toyota VIOS was only introduced in our market in the year 2003, and was facelifted last year in 2006. That’s three years before a facelift – it’s currently 2007, perhaps we’ll get a new model change in 2008 or 2009.

Rumour is that the new 2nd generation Toyota VIOS on our market will also offer a 1.3 liter version priced somewhere between the Perodua Myvi and the VIOS 1.5 liter, about 65k or so, which will definitely prove to be a Proton killer. But then again, rumours and word of mouth shall remain just that, just rumours, until any official announcement or press release. There are plenty of rumours going around of so-called pending new models to be released soon, they usually center around the Nissan Note and the Toyota Ractic being offered at impossible RM4x,xxx price ranges.

Anyway, have a look at the other two photos after the jump, and if you haven’t visited the forums and signed up for an account to participate yet, feel free to do so!

Source

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Belta on test in Thailand as Toyota VIOS!

Toyota Motor Co is open to a more involved partnership with Ford if Ford wants to, reported Japanese business daily Nikkei. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said Toyota is open to talks of a technological alliance. Toyota and Ford currently have a partnership in place involving hybrid technology. Ford licenses part of Toyota’s market-leading hybrid engine technology for the hybrid versions of its Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs.

Struggling Ford, just like the other American giants, could use some of Toyota’s excellent Daihatsu-developed small cars, as the US and world market shifts it’s focus onto small and fuel efficient cars.

Source

Toyota’s FT-HS Concept is a separate vehicle from the Lexus LF-A, ending talk that the Lexus LF-A will be a Supra-replacement. Now it’s clear that Toyota’s replacement for the Supra is separate from the new Lexus supercar . The Toyota FT-HS Concept is about the size of a Lexus SC430 and is a rear wheel drive vehicle that employs an uprated version of the hybrid powertrain found in the Lexus GS450h. The hybrid power train is a combination of a 3.5 liter DOHC V6 petrol engine making 292hp mated to a 650V water-cooled electric motor making 197hp peak output.

The engineers of the Toyota FT-HS Concept had a few reasons for putting that hybrid power train in there. They had more than just environmental and fuel efficiency reasons for adding an electric motor to a conventional big displacement engine sports car formula. The sudden burst of power from an electric motor which runs at peak torque at all times can provide the driver a feeling of power boost similar to nitrous oxide.

The body style of the Toyota FT-HS Concept is a 2+2, and has a relatively long wheelbase for a sports car. It isn’t a bad thing, that way the battery pack can be positioned more strategically along the wheelbase, helping to achieve that magical 50:50 weight balance. Some of the styling cues are pretty funky, for example the dark thing you see on the front hood is actually the 3.5 liter V6’s engine cover poking out through the front hood. There is also a targa-style retractable roof, but retracting it renders the rear seats unusable.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota FT-HS Concept: new Toyota Supra preview

The Toyota Auris hatchback has been given a new Corolla Axio-like front end to match the tastes of the Japanese market and is now in sale in Japan as the Toyota Blade, positioned as a premium hatchback. The Japanese market Toyota Blade is equipped with the 2AZ-FE 2.4 liter DOHC VVT-i engine, similiar to the unit in our local Toyota Camry 2.4. Imagine all that torque at low to medium speed RPM in a small hatch like the Toyota Blade. That’s 165 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 224Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The Toyota Auris is also sold in Japan, but is positioned lower in the product range and only comes with either a 1.5 liter or 1.8 liter engine.

While the engine in our Camry is matched to a 5-speed auto, in the Toyota Blade it is equipped with a Super CVT-i gearbox, offering virtually unlimited ratios in automatic mode, but users who want the enjoyment of seeing the revs rise and fall like normal cogs will be able to shift between 7 virtual pre-defined gears by selecting the Super CVT-i gearbox’s Sports Sequential Shiftmatic mode.

The standard Toyota Blade sends all that power through the front wheels, but you also have the option of equipping the Toyota Blade with all wheel drive for an average of extra 200-250K yen. Toyota targets to sell about 3,000 units of the Toyota Blade a month in the Japanese market.

More photos and extra details from Toyota about the new Toyota Blade for the Japanese market after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2007 Toyota Blade (premium JDM Toyota Auris)

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd’s plans for the Lexus marque this year – two models, one of which will be the flagship Lexus LS. Lexus has never really been in Malaysia officially with proper support, previously you could only purchase Lexus cars through grey importers. UMW Toyota will focus on establishing the Lexus brand in the local luxury segment, and not just to be viewed as more upmarket Toyotas.

It’s perfect really – despite only being a 17 year old brand, Lexus is the top luxury segment seller in the US, and is immediately associated with the luxury car image. Not only that, it has also benefitted from Toyota’s reputation for good build and reliability.

The Lexus LS is a massive full-sized luxury sedan, powered by powerful V8 engines. I wonder what’s the other model to be brought in, it should be either the IS or the ever so popular RX. My bet is on the latter. Rear shot of the Lexus LS after the jump, you’ll find that it looks very similar to a model in Toyota’s existing line-up.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Two Lexus models for Malaysia in 2007

Toyota’s mini Camry – the new Toyota Corolla has made it’s European debut at the Helsinki Motor Show 2006 in Finland. While we’ve already seen this Corolla when it made it’s world debut at the Beijing Motor Show not too long ago, these photos are probably the first that show clearly the interior of the new car. As previously mentioned, the sedan Corolla will continue to keep it’s name, while the hatchback has been reincarnated as the Toyota Auris.

Toyota seems to have taken a leaf out of Volvo’s design book with the new Corolla’s silver floating center console panel. It’s a good thing the car has a drastically new interior as that’s where you’ll be spending most of your time in, because the exterior looks like a mere evolution of the old Corolla Altis we have running around our streets.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
2007 Toyota Corolla Axio launched in Japan
New Toyota Corolla Altis preview at Beijing 2006
Toyota Auris announced

Click here to read the rest of New Toyota Corolla debuts in Europe

UPDATE: Perodua has announced that a new Kembara will be launched in mid-2008. It is expected that the new Perodua Kembara replacement will be based on the Daihatsu Bego/Toyota Rush. Click here for more details.

The production of the new Toyota Rush and Daihatsu Terios will start soon in Indonesia, and both will be produced in Daihatsu’s assembly plant. Selling the same model under two different badges in the same country seems to work well in Indonesia, where the Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia have achieved sales of 200,000 units since 2003.

Now that Indonesia has the new Terios, when will Perodua update it’s aging Kembara model? The new Terios was recently awarded 4X4 Magazines 4X4 Of The Year 2007 Award. I already have a few friends holding back their car purchases in eager anticipation of the new Kembara, if it ever happens. With it’s mini RAV4 looks, I’m sure it will be a runaway success like the Myvi.

Source

The Toyota-Daihatsu siblings take economies of scale to a whole new level unheard of with the introduction of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept recently at the Auto China 2006 motor show. While Toyota calls it a “concept” for China, it’s actually pretty much the same ASEAN market Toyota Avanza/Daihatsu Xenia that’s been available for ages already, with a slightly different bodykit. The production version of the Daihatsu D-01 Concept will be introduced into the Chinese market in mid-2007.

One more rear view photo after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Daihatsu D-01 Concept – China’s Avanza

UPDATE: The new 2008 Toyota Corolla Altis has been launched in Malaysia! – click for more details, specifications, photos and pricing.

Someone said in a previous comment on the Singapore auto show post that your country’s auto show is only important when a manufacturer decides to give the world a debut look at a new model at the show. This move by Toyota further emphasizes the importance of the Chinese market – it let the world see the new replacement for the Corolla Altis there, which will also be taking the place of the current USDM Corolla.

Not to be confused with the previously launched Corolla Axio/Fielder duo which serves the JDM market, the new Corolla is 4,540mm long, 1,760mm wide and 1,490mm tall. This means it’s grown 10mm longer and 55mm wider than the current Corolla Altis – being significantly wider the car will likely lose it’s current tall and unstable looks, giving the driver more confidence in the handling ability of the car.

You’ll also find Toyota’s new flagship 1.8 liter Dual VVT-i engine under the hood. A comparison with the previous generation 1.8 liter VVT-i can be found here. Although the new 2ZR-FE comes with a new CVT gearbox option, the Corolla for the Chinese market will come with either a 4-speed auto or a 6-speed manual. The previous Corolla only had a 5-speed manual, while the auto was also a 4-speed. A pity, the Civic has moved on to a 5-speed auto with two overdrive gears.

UPDATE: Added new photos. More shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Toyota Corolla Altis Preview at Beijing 2006