Toyota Aurion for Australia

Toyota takes another crack at the large car market in Australia with the Aurion, a 3.5 l V6 based on the Camry.

13 February 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

The Toyota Aurion is exactly what the large car buyers in Australia are looking for, according to Toyota Australia CEO John Conomos, never mind that it is a front-wheel drive, while its competitors are rear wheel drive. Designed by Australian Nick Hagios, alongside Toyota's Japanese designers, Toyota believes that the Aurion will soon make the much-derided Avalon a bad memory.

The Toyota Aurion will be built at Toyota's Altona plant. The car will be launched in the Australian market in the second half of 2006.

Toyota has also promised a supercharged Sportivo version of the Aurion in the first half of 2007.

When the Aurion is officially launched, it will have to face the heat from Ford and Holden, the large car market leaders in Australia.

Initial reaction to the looks of the Toyota Aurion are positive - there is a Sportivo (or the high performance?) version of the car on Toyota's Aurion website - those who have seen the Aurion in the flesh say that the car looks even better with normal headlights.

To differentiate the Aurion from the Camry on which it is based, Toyota will sell the Camry with only a four cylinder engine in Australia, while the V6 engine will be available only on the Aurion. That way, Toyota hopes to give it a premium positioning and take it to do direct face to face battle with the Holden Berlina and Ford Fairmont.

There is also a lot of interest in the Aurion Sportivo concept car and the Aurion Future Performance Concept (FPC). However, even less data than on the Aurion is forthcoming from Toyota about these future cars.

While based on the next version of the Toyota Camry, the Aurion has a longer wheel base and distinct front and rear sheet metal. The interior of the Aurion will also be different, whiel the doors are the same as that on the Camry. The styling modifications on the car make it look wider, and also adds 45 mm to the length of the car.

The Toyota Aurions will be exported to Southeast Asia and the Middle East countries in the future. 70,000 Altona-built Aurions will be exported in left and right-hand-drive versions.