Car Trends Magazine

The Melbourne Motor Show hosted the preview of the all new Aussie designed Toyota Aurion. With this car, which will replace, the not so successful, Avalon, Toyota Australia is hoping it will cement its “Down-Under” manufacturing future

The Aurion – its name means “tomorrow” in modern & ancient Greek – was designed to apparently suit Australia’s large car tastes and compete with rivals such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.

Although those cars send power to the rear wheels, the Aurion is a front wheeled model. Toyota is hoping the styling, will win fans where the Avalon failed.

While Toyota will pitch the Aurion as a true Aussie large car, actually, it is based on the Camry, something that also happened with the Avalon. The Aurion will have the same interior space as a Camry, although revised seating and a new look to the interior provide differentiation.

Other than the look, the main difference between the Aurion and the Camry will be the engines as the new Camry will be exclusively 4-cylinder while the Aurion will get a 3.5-litre V6 VVTi.

Latter the range will get a sport model equipped with a supercharged version of the 3.5 V6 VVTi that will produce, according to Toyota, over 260 hp, so Toyota can compete in the large performance sedan market dominated until now by Holden and Ford, both of which wear V8 engines.

TOYOTA AURION – A NEW STAR ON THE AUSTRALIAN AUTOMOTIVE HORIZON

Toyota has previewed a new Australian-built six-cylinder sedan that promises to redefine the large car market. The sedan, named Aurion, has been designed with unprecedented input from Toyota Style Australia (TSA). Aurion means “tomorrow” in Ancient Greek. The name also has overtones of Australia and Aurora – Latin for “the dawn”.

The Aurion has classic Australian family sedan proportions and will have the power to match. It is scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Aurion range, which will replace the discontinued Avalon in Australia, will introduce new technology and safety features to the large car market.

The model line-up will cater for a wide variety of customer tastes in the private, fleet and prestige market segments.

Toyota is showing the new Aurion sedan at the Melbourne International Motor Show this week. The stand also includes two show vehicles that hint at possible styling cues for the Aurion sports and performance models.

The Aurion features new exterior styling themes penned by TSA’s lead designer, Nick Hogios, working in collaboration with Japanese and Taiwanese designers.

Its development was undertaken simultaneously in Japan and Australia at the TSA design studio in Melbourne.

“The Aurion ensures that Toyota Australia has significant separation between our locally manufactured four-cylinder medium and six-cylinder large cars,” Toyota Style Australia (TSA) Chief Designer Paul Beranger said. “This vehicle will allow us to grow our share of the large car market. Australian retail customers and fleets alike are looking for an alternative to the big two in this segment.

“Aurion has what the large car buyer demands: muscular proportions and a performance package that will be very competitive with local rivals.

“On top of those two key attributes, there will be the added benefit of Toyota quality, durability and reliability.

“The car will also adopt leading technology from our luxury brand, Lexus.

“Local styling clinics suggest very strongly that we have connected with large car customers in terms of styling.

“Australians aspire to sophisticated European design tastes and the new Aurion has very elegant yet muscular proportions.”

Mr Beranger said the Aurion was evidence of a growing Australian design influence in Toyota.

“This project has put Toyota Style Australia on the map with our parent company and we are confident we can increase our level of influence on future models,” he said.

TOYOTA AURION FUTURE PERFORMANCE CONCEPT (FPC)

Toyota has given the Australian public a first glimpse of its new Australian-designed performance sedan.

The Toyota stand at this year’s Melbourne International Motor Show features a partial reveal of the Aurion Future Performance Concept (FPC).

The concept model is a pointer to a new Aurion-based performance sedan, due for local launch in the first half of 2007.

Styled by Toyota Style Australia and developed by Toyota Australia engineers, the performance model will be unique in the Toyota world.

It will sit above the sports model in the Aurion range.

Toyota Australia Executive Chairman John Conomos said the motor show display was designed to whet the public appetite for Toyota performance vehicles.

“Our display at this show is a strong statement of Toyota Australia’s styling and performance engineering capability. Both the Sportivo Concept model and the FPC on the stand have been designed by our stylists here in Australia,” Mr Conomos said.

The FPC display gives subtle hints about the car’s aggressive body and wheel design.

“The styling cues are more subtle than overt. They give an indication of the character of the car. The emphasis will be on refined performance and advanced technology,” Mr Conomos said.

Powered by a sports-tuned supercharged 3.5-litre V6, the Aurion performance derivative will offer a complete package with the accent on excitement and athletic driving dynamics.

The supercharged engine will be displayed on the Toyota stand.

Specially developed and tuned by a team of Toyota Australia engineers working closely with local suppliers, the supercharged version of Toyota’s 2GR-FE engine draws on motor sport engineering principles to deliver a new level of refined power and responsiveness to the performance car market.

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