Toyota Aurion 2008 News

Car sales were at record levels for the first half of the year, but that isn't expected to last.As Ford and GM Holden struggle with their toughest challenges in more than 25 years, there is no sign of any overall slump in new-car showrooms.The Commodore and Falcon are doing it tough, but small-car sales are booming, compact four-wheel drives are going well and there is a growing trend towards work-and-play pickups by Tuppies - or Tradie Urban Professionals.The Tuppie trend is as obvious as the showroom total for the Toyota HiLux, Australia's No.2 seller in the first six months of the year. It even beat the Commodore, though the baby Corolla did best, to record its first half-year term as overall No.1.Toyota continues to power ahead and has experienced the best results in its history, helping to drive a string of records for the overall motor industry."We're up 9.4 per cent for the year. But we always want to do better and while we're running well ahead we're happy," the head of sales and marketing at Toyota Australia, Dave Buttner, says.The overall figures at the half-time break in this year's showroom battle include record sales figures for June, a record for the year so far and a record performance for a financial year of 1,068,301.But things do not look as bright for the second half of the year, even though all industry analysts are forecasting a full-year total of about 1,060,000."There will be a lot of competitive pressures. Prices are likely to stay where they are," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar says."The June figures need to be seen in a broader context. We have come from a situation where the market was growing at about twice the rate of the national economy ... we have seen growth rates fall from 8.9 per cent to 3.5 per cent this year."This is much more in line with growth in the general economy and a much more sustainable position."So there are plenty of winners, but there are losers, too. Nissan and Honda trail last year's half-yearly totals. They have held their places in the top-10 sales chart but clearly need new models to compete with their rivals, as Honda's impressive effort in June - when it cracked 6000 sales for the first time in a month thanks to the new Accord and Accord Euro - prove.But what can we see in the results, beyond the inevitable stuff from Toyota?New vehicles are still up to 30 per cent less expensive to buy today than they were 15 years ago and strong competition, the growth of turbodiesels, improved safety and equipment levels are driving new buyer inquiry.June had a record 106,541 sales, up 1444, or 1.4 per cent, on the same month last year, and a record for any month in Australian motor-vehicle sales history.Toyota is now more than 60,000 ahead of its nearest rival Holden, with a tally of 127,440 sales.Last month it became the first company in Australia to sell more than 25,000 vehicles in a month when it recorded 25,600 sales.As it did in 2007, the Corolla is storming ahead, outselling the fleet favourite, the Holden Commodore, but it is the HiLux that has surprised pundits.In April the HiLux knocked off the Holden Commodore as the country's best-selling vehicle and end-of-financial-year deals helped push its sales to 4530 last month, with a yearly tally of 22,132.Toyota's success has a lot to do with its market clout and penetration in just about all vehicle segments.It has cars from the economical Yaris to the V8 turbodiesel LandCruiser off-roader and its split strategy of the Camry four-cylinder and Aurion V6 seems to be paying off, even if rivals refer to the Aurion as the Camry V6.Other Toyota strengths are its strong marketing, and knowing its buyers.But with rising fuel prices, tightening credit and interest-rate issues, it is not alone in predicting some softening in the run to December.But Toyota is buoyed by a strong order bank for many of its cars, including the HiLux and Corolla, and analysts say the company's pricepoints and reputation will hold up well against outside issues facing the car industry.The Corolla is the company's hottest property. It became Australia's best-selling car in the first half of the year, the first time Corolla, or any Toyota, has topped the country's new-vehicle sales chart at the half-way point of a year.Australian motorists bought 24,415 Corollas in the first six months of this year - an increase of more than 7.3 per cent on the same period last year.Corolla was the best-selling vehicle last month, with 5023 sales, followed by the HiLux, with 4530.The Holden Commodore was third last month, posting 4274 sales for a six-month total of 23,323 cars - 1092 fewer than Corolla.Yaris, 2770, Aurion, 2552, and Camry, 2261, were among the top 10 sellers last month. Prado, 1749, led the SUV market.Toyota's market share so far this year is 23.5 per cent, a slight gain of 1.3 per cent on the same period last year.Holden's overall share is down 2.1 per cent, which will be worrying the bean-counters.Despite having a strong sedan, ute and long-wheelbase line-up, the company's South Korean strategy has some holes in it.Sales of the Viva sedan and wagon are down more than 14 per cent, and the Barina is struggling.Only the Captiva and Epica seem to be working out.The Captiva has found 5633 buyers this year and even the lukewarm Epica has lifted numbers to 1332, up from 1096 for the same time last year.By contrast Ford's Euro small cars like the Focus and Fiesta have performed well, achieving sales of 8561 and 3866 respectively.Even its new mid-sizer, the Mondeo, has snared 2518, with Ford underestimatingd demand for the turbodiesel model.The late arrival of the new FG Falcon meant that June results of 3483 were about what the company expected.Ford's Broadmeadows factory is ramping up production of the G Series sedans after starting with the base XT model and dealers are reporting strong interest and growing orders for the G Series cars.Luxury-car sales, too, with the impending rise in the luxury-car tax, shot up last month.Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all report strong June sales in a pull-forward of sales before the new tax comes into effect.Mercedes-Benz sold 2054 vehicles, Audi 907 and BMW 2258.The arrival of the new Jaguar XF bolstered Jaguar's June result, with 124 cars sold; and even Land Rover shifted 491 vehicles. REPORT CARDSmall cars GOODCompact 4x4s GOODPick-ups GOODSedans POOR How the makes and models compareTOP 10 MAKES (June)1 Toyota 25,6242 Holden 11,9683 Ford 10,2864 Mazda 75245 Mitsubishi 83366 Nissan 53527 Honda 62178 Hyundai 54479 Subaru 411610 Volkswagen 3305 TOP 10 MAKES (YTD)1 Toyota 127,4402 Holden 67,1233 Ford 54,4694 Mazda 42,4935 Mitsubishi 35,1676 Nissan 30,8007 Honda 30,1688 Hyundai 24,4179 Subaru 20,80610 Volkswagen 16,407 TOP 10 MODELS (June)1 Toyota Corolla 50232 Toyota HiLux 45303 Holden Commodore 42744 Ford Falcon 34825 Mazda3 32866 Toyota Yaris 27707 Mitsubishi Lancer 26678 Honda Civic 26449 Toyota Aurion 255210 Toyota Camry 2261 TOP 10 MODELS (YTD)1 Toyota Corolla 24,4152 Holden Commodore 23,3233 Toyota HiLux 22,1324 Mazda3 17,4585 Ford Falcon 14,7816 Toyota Yaris 13,7047 Toyota Camry 11,7718 Toyota Aurion 11,3879 Honda Civic 10,89710 Mitsubishi Lancer 10,498 who's hotSUZUKIJune was the 19th straight month of cumulative increases for Suzuki, which has cemented a place as one of Australia's fastest-growing brands.A total of 2419 Suzukis were sold last month, making it the best month in the company's history with a 2.2 per cent gain over the previous high-water mark in June last year.Another record result confirms Suzuki is now being considered against the historical volume players in the Australian market, Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers says.Like so many others, Suzuki is cashing in on successful new models, including the SX4, though the baby Swift - a former CARSguide Car of the Year - is still the bedrock for the brand. It has also claimed a 21 per cent increase for Grand Vitara, and the tiny Jimny four-wheel drive, which has been relaunched in 2008, is up 35 per cent.Suzuki sold 12,140 vehicles in the first half of the year, an 11.3 per cent increase on last year."With rising petrol prices having a noticeable effect on customer choices, Suzuki is perfectly positioned to offer a range of vehicles offering great fuel economy, superb build quality and terrific value for money," Devers says. MAZDAMazda is well on track for an 80,000-plus year. Better than its most ambitious target.Last month it sold 7524 vehicles, up 8.5 per cent on the same time last year.The Mazda2's tally of 1540 is a record for the nameplate and even the ageing Mazda3 continues to perform well, selling 3284 last month.The Mazda3's year-to-date sales of 17,458 makes it the third best- selling car - not vehicle - in Australia behind the Corolla and Commodore. SUBARUAll-wheel drive continues to be Subaru's trump card.It achieved a record of 4116 vehicles last month, with an overall lift in sales of 6.4 per cent for the year so far.The new-generation Forester was a star performer, with 1668 sold, an increase of 13.2 per cent.Impreza continued its strong start with 1031 sales, up 16.0 per cent. The refreshed Tribeca also performed well, with 161 sales, up 47.5 per cent.Liberty and Outback sales of 788 and 468 respectively contributed to the impressive result. who's notSSANGYONGThis brand is struggling, with sales down 25 per cent this year despite a revamping of its model line-up.A lack of cohesive marketing, low dealer numbers and quirky styling continues to dog the brand. Only 920 have found homes so far this year. SAABWhat can we say?With only two models in the line-up, the 9-3 and 9-5, Saab needs an injection of product right away.It's coming, in the form of a new four-wheel drive and small model but they are some way off.With sales of only 806 so far this year, it makes you wonder why GM Premium Brands bothers with the Swede. RENAULTEven tough sales have improved 2.2 per cent overall this year, the French carmaker's typically arrogant attitude to the Asia-Pacific market is working against it.The new Laguna and Clio sports model give it some hope, but only if the French executives get out of their ivory towers in Paris and come have a look at our market for a better understanding of what it needs to survive and prosper. PEUGEOTThe model changeover from the 307 to the 308 may have upset Peugeot's strong run, but sales are off 17 per cent this year.The 207 is a strong card and once the 308 becomes more widely known for its quality and driving experience we suspect things will pick up.The 407 is in desperate need of some strong marketing. NISSANLook beyond the nameplate and there are some strong individual performers, like the the X-Trail and Navara.But the Tiida still mystifies people, a Pulsar by any other name really. The miniscule Micra is picking up some well-earned praise for its price and packaging, so there is some hope.The Dualis has fallen short of the mark, though, and essentially Nissan still has to climb out from its tag as a four-wheel-drive brand if it wants to improve.Sales have slipped 4.3 per cent this year. LEXUSTreading water a bit with sales up only 0.3 per cent this year, the six-model range is strong on quality but short on driver involvement. The IS and GS are perhaps the exceptions. They are competent, but not engaging cars, and the volume RX series is due for replacement soon. It cannot come soon enough. CITROENAgain, the French! Some perky little performers in the C3 turbodiesel and C4, but it seems Aussie buyers prefer Japanese.Citroen sales are off 13.5 per cent on the same period last year.The Grand Picasso is the only interesting one to watch. ALFA ROMEONothing wrong with the product but others do it better and more aggressively.Alfa importer Ateco Automotive has sold 717 Alfa Romeos this year, down 25 per cent on the same period last year.The arrival of the sexy Mi.To could spur things on for the brand. 

As interest rates bite and with it consumer belt-tightening, some analysts predict a slowdown this year.But the first two months of the year showed strong gains over the same period last year.Light-car sales rose 2236, or 22.5 per cent, and the small-car segment rose 1645, or 8.6 per cent, over February last year, according to the latest VFACTs industry sales figures.The off-roader, or SUV market, grew by 3365 vehicles, or 22.6 per cent.These gains were partially countered by declines in the large-car segment, down 2488 or 19.9 per cent, and medium-car segment, down 383 or 5.1 per cent.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKeller says the runout of key models has affected volumes in the large and medium segments.The arrival of the new FG Falcon in May and expanding Holden Commodore line-up with its Sportwagon will help turn around sales figures in coming months, he says.Toyota was the top-selling brand in February with 20,703 sales, or 23 per cent of the market, ahead of Holden with 12,386 sales, 13.8 per cent, and Ford with 9405 sales, 10.5 per cent.For the year so far, Toyota leads Holden by 15,916 sales and remains market leader with a 22.4 per cent market share.Holden has a 13.1 per cent overall market share and Ford is third at 9.9 per cent.Among the light and small-car stars were the Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Getz, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Yaris, Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer.Holden was large-car leader, selling 4313 VE Commodores, followed by Ford with 2520 Falcons and Toyota with 1855 Aurions.The announcement of the end of Mitsubishi 380 production affected February sales, the company sold only 471 380 V6s.Melbourne-based industry analyst Tony Robinson, of SurePlan, believes new-car demand will soften late in the year.There is usually a six to nine-month lag between spiking interest rates and its impact on buyer patterns, he says.But he is confident the market will still go close to one million sales this year. What's sellingTop 10 makes1 Toyota 20,7032 Holden 12,2363 Ford 94054 Mazda 70225 Honda 48006 Mitsubishi 54237 Nissan 51008 Subaru 33719 Hyundai 401010 Volkswagen 2883 Top 10 models 1 Holden Commodore 43132 Toyota Corolla 41913 Toyota HiLux 33254 Mazda3 28255 Ford Falcon 25206 Toyota Yaris 22807 Toyota Aurion 18558 Toyota Camry 17239 Mitsubishi Lancer 168210 Honda Civic 1665 

We collectively bought more than 82,000 vehicles last month, close enough to a 7 per cent rise over January 2007.Looking at it another way, contracts on 213 vehicles were signed for each of the 25 selling days in the month. That's a record over last year, which in itself was a record over 2006.Toyota remains king of the sales heap and the big movers were the small, medium and SUV sectors. Sales of large cars continued to plummet, which must be a worry to Ford as it prepares to launch its new Falcon.Mitsubishi, which is pulling out of manufacturing here, finished a distant sixth in the sales race, with Honda and Mazda both outselling the former car giant. So, according the industry statistician facts, who were the winners?Toyota's Yaris dominated the cheap and cheerful light market, with the Mazda2 and Honda Jazz also popular with buyers.The hotly contested small car market continues to be a bloody battleground. Toyota's Corolla was streets ahead of its opposition but the real fight was for the crumbs, with the Mazda3, Ford Focus and Honda Civic all doing well.The mid-sized market, which has been quiet, is picking up pace as buyers downsize. Most went for the Toyota Camry ahead of the Mazda6, with Subaru's Liberty a distant third.The large car market was a disaster for the local players. The Commodore was the best seller but it, along with the Falcon, Mitsubishi 380, Honda Accord and Hyundai Grandeur, lost ground.The star performer was Toyota's Aurion, which outsold the Falcon.Of the rest of the new car fleet, Honda's Odyssey beat the cheaper Kia Carnival in the people mover market, while the big surprise was in the SUV sector where Honda's CR-V outsold the Subaru Forester, Toyota's RAV 4 and recently launched Nissan X-Trail.The sales stats throw up some interesting facts and figures.Private buyers are taking a big liking to diesel engines (sales are up 82 per cent but still a low volume), while vehicles running on LPG are out of favour (down 64 per cent). Hybrid models enjoyed 11 per cent growth.And just to show how global the industry has become, last month we bought vehicles made in 23 countries. While most cars still come from Japan, there were models from the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. 

Less than 20 per cent of Australians are now buying Australian, with imported vehicles taking 81 per cent of the record 1,049,982 vehicle sales last year.The Holden Commodore was still the country's favourite car for the 12th straight year, but the swing to imports was reflected in the Ford Falcon's slide to a lowly fifth place in the ranking of best sellers.It was beaten by the Mazda3 and the Toyota Hilux pickup.The Mitsubishi 380 did not even make the top 10.The strong performance of imported vehicles came as many more Australians turned to small cars and four-wheel-drives, which rebounded after the fuel shocks of 2006, in preference to locally made family cars.Sales of 4WDs were up 16 per cent against an industry average of 9.1 per cent, while sales of light cars priced below $15,000 improved 10.2 per cent.Toyota dominated the new-car results last year, taking its run at No.1 to five straight years, with a margin of more than 90,000 over second-placed GM Holden and a 128,000-car gap over Ford in third.Toyota also lifted its sales to more than 200,000 and is aiming for 250,000 in 2008.The one-million-vehicle milestone was a first for the industry but is expected to be bettered this year with sales of at least 1,060,000, according the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which compiles the official VFacts sales results.“Last year the motor vehicle market grew at approximately twice the rate of the economy as a whole,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.“One million new motor vehicles in a country of 21 million people is an impressive achievement."“The Australian motor vehicle market has now grown in six out of the last seven years, driven by the strength of the labour market, rising asset values and improving vehicle affordability.”Though Australia's sales rate of about 1 in 20 people was even better than Britain's 1 in 25, Mr McKellar sounded a warning.“Although economic fundamentals remain strong and consumer confidence is proving to be robust, we think future growth will be more closely aligned with trends in overall domestic demand,” Mr McKellar said.The industry also faces a review of federal government policy this year, with local carmakers arguing for an extension of the existing arrangements, including support from the Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme.They will point to the growth in exports in recent years, with overseas deliveries by GM Holden and Toyota now totalling more than $5 billion a year.Toyota said the domestic sales of its Camry and V6 Aurion, which totalled close to 50,000 cars last year, were easily beaten by exports of more than 90,000 cars.   Our top 10 favourite carsRanking 2006 2007Holden Commodore: 56,531 57,307Toyota Corolla: 46,256 47,792Toyota HiLux: 36,885 42,009Mazda3: 32,432 34,394Ford Falcon: 42,390 33,941Toyota Yaris: 29,663 27,990Toyota Camry: 24,221 26,336Toyota Aurion: 3380 22,036Hyundai Getz: 20,853 21,166Holden Astra: 19,364 20,588 

The TRD Aurion is out of hot water over an engine failure and heading for a new job.

Toyota announced at the Australian International Motor Show, that a near stock-standard Aurion TRD will tackle Australia's premier tarmac rally in 2008.News of the competitive future for the locally developed performance car follows the announcement the TRD Aurion will go back on sale next week, after being withdrawn three weeks ago while the company investigated an engine failure in one car.The Toyota Racing Development-designed-and-built 3.5-litre supercharged V6 Aurion, which has been prepared for Targa by the Neal Bates Motorsport team; the same group behind Toyota's multiple-championship-winning TRD rally outfit.Former Targa winner Bates was an integral part of the TRD Aurion's development; and believes the car has the potential to knock off some of its race-bred competitors on the 'testing Tasmania roads.'“We have only made minor modifications to the standard car, like fitting a roll cage, racing seats and safety equipment,” Bates says.While the TRD Aurion may have supplied the flash and dash of Toyota's motor show presentation, the most significant event was the world premiere of the next-generation 200 Series LandCruiser.Toyota's senior executive director for sales and marketing, David Buttner, says the LandCruiser has been a pivotal part of the company's history in Australia.“New LandCruiser has been tested and evaluated here for several years over more than 200,000km,” he says.The all-new 200 Series LandCruiser features a twin-turbocharged V8 diesel engine; with more than 600Nm of torque, and will also be a delivery platform for some of the world's most advanced off-road technology.High on the features lists are the Australian-designed Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which provides greater stability on all surfaces and an extended suspension stroke in off-road driving.The LandCruiser will also feature the world's first 'crawl control' system for negotiating surfaces such as rocks, sand or steep hills (petrol models only), a Torsen limited-slip centre differential and a multi-terrain anti-skid braking system.Safety advances include a stronger body structure, standard vehicle stability control and up to 10 airbags; front, side and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the outboard second-row seats and curtain shield airbags for all three rows.For the first time in Australia, LandCruiser 200 has four-zone climate-control airconditioning at the top of the range. This system gives first- and second-row passengers access to individual climate controls on both sides of the vehicle with air being distributed through 28 vents.Toyota also announced the arrival of the RAV4 V6 which is now on sale in dealerships.The new model continues the growth of what was once Toyota's small off-roader for the funky-inclined. “Last year, we launched a new RAV4; and this month we add more than 200kW of V6 power to the range,” Buttner says.The company also confirmed that the second TRD-badged Toyota will be the 4.0-litre supercharged HiLux.  

Toyota’s return to rock-crawling was sung in by a big country star, but the huge new LandCruiser and massive neon stage threatened to dwarf him in lights and sounds.Lee Kernahan crooning to a hip rural beat as the new 200 Series LandCruiser took the spotlight; all of it. The ‘Cruiser is even more of a bruiser than before, bulked up, with a greater kerb weight, 60mm longer, 30mm wider, 15mm higher…While a monocoque chassis will have to wait ‘til a ‘300 Series’, the new powertrains, chassis, suspension and components are rather futuristic.In a claimed ‘World first,’ Toyota has introduced its Crawl Control technology, which enables the driver to toggle between low speeds over the rocky offroad rubble like a fancy hill descent or assist. The suspension is also reworked and is hydraulically-assisted, while active rollbar technology works to keep the wheels planted on terra-firma.Toyota also took a plunge into the oil pool with two new V8 engine choices; a large 5.7-litre petrol V8 matched to a five-speed automatic, and a 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel with a six-speed auto.The latter boasts 190kW and an enormous 600Nm, and is a welcome return to the world of large-capacity diesels for the Japanese automaker (since the new emissions laws came in, Toyota has been without a big oil-burner).While we will see the 200 Series in showrooms by mid-November, the tricked-up tray backed TRD Hilux will be postponed until at least March.The supercharged dual-cab has been delayed due to a recent issue with the new supercharged TRD Aurion performance sedan. It is believed that the incident several weeks ago was caused by the combination of a wide open throttle and a slip of the gears (apparently, it was accidentally put into neutral from drive by a Toyota staffer).Toyota immediately halted the Hilux to investigate the problem, and it has backed up the production line.Next for TRD, once they pass this hurdle, may be a TRD Corolla in the spirit of the current ARC rally cars and possibly even a TRD 4X4 of some sort… See this car at the Australian International Motor Show  

The supercharged V6 will not be sent overseas, even though Toyota Australia has a huge export business and there is foreign interest in the car.The Aurion was developed for Australia, and that means it will be held at home while the new TRD operation gets on its feet.It probably won't be exported until the second-generation TRD Aurion, sometime after 2010. It is not a priority as Toyota works to establish itself in a field dominated by performance cars from Ford and Holden.“Yes, we have had a lot of interest in the car. We've had inquiries from the Middle East, the US and New Zealand already,” Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Dave Buttner says.“But it's not the right time. We need to focus on the home market for the moment,” he says.Buttner says the whole TRD operation is a huge learning process for Toyota Australia, from the local design and engineering work to an assembly facility set up by Prodrive, the David Richards-owned company that also controls Ford Performance Vehicles and Ford Performance Racing, alongside Toyota's Camry-Aurion factory in Altona.He says the company isn't focused on overseas sales.“We have plenty of time. The current car is not homologated. Several things would need to be done. And we don't want to rush,” Buttner says.“It is far more important to get things right with this car, and get the TRD brand established in showrooms, before we worry about sending cars overseas.”Toyota Australia is building a solid reputation for its local work, engineering and design, and the sports-suspension package developed for the local Camry is now in use in the US. 

It cost $5 million to bring their first car, a 241kW supercharged Aurion TRD, to market.The most powerful front-wheel-drive production car in the world will be the first of many TRD special sports vehicles, followed by the Hi-Lux TRD late this year.Toyota product management divisional manager Peter McGregor said they had been working on the TRD project since 2002.“We wanted to gain market leadership back and asked for projects to strengthen the brand and increase sales and market share,” he said.In the absence of sports vehicles such as the Supra, Celica or MR2 the company recognised it was under-represented by buyers aged under 30, so a special vehicles operation was suggested.The first special vehicle operations meeting was held on February 27, 2003.“We knew this would not be big volume but would be about emotion and inspiration,” McGregor said.“The business case was built around the belief that TRD would generate more than just sales in the long term.”He said TRD would trade on its motorsport heritage through Formula One and rallying and recognition of the brand through the Gran Turismo PlayStation game.Toyota Australia sales and marketing senior executive director Dave Buttner described the move to launch TRD as “a leap of faith by the company."TRD Australia corporate manager Greg Gardner said the project began as a part-time activity that brought together “a band of closet enthusiasts”.The first task was to build a design team. Designer Lee Moran of Toyota Style Australia in Melbourne, was charged with the external design for the first TRD product.“There was no DNA for TRD so we had to start from scratch and create one,” said Moran who has worked for Ford on WRC car design.“We could steer the direction of the brand any way we wanted.“We chose F1 for our DNA inspiration.”The cars are developed by low-volume sports vehicle specialists Pro Drive with final assembly at Toyota's Altona plant.While TRD has announced the next vehicle will be a supercharged Hi-Lux, there are no firm plans yet for follow-up vehicles or whether it will continue with superchargers.Currently TRD is conducting a feasibility study for the third vehicle with an announcement expected early next year and the final production vehicle released within about two years.TRD Australia has appointed 41 dealers with 25 metropolitan dealers on line for the launch of the Aurion TRD and 16 regional dealers added for the Hi-Lux launch.The Aurion TRD release last week was aptly timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Toyota's first involvement in motorsport anywhere in the world.That event was the first Mobil Gas Around Australia Rally in 1957 when a Toyopet finished a credible 47th out of 86 entries.In Australia, Toyota has won four rally driver's championships and a manufacturer's trophy, 11 class victories at Bathurst, the inaugural 2-litre Touring Car title and the inaugural Bathurst 12-hour in 1991. 

It seems the Toyota's supercharged TRD Aurion is ready for the road, judging by this example spotted on the Hume Highway between Yass and Gundagai. While Toyota has issued a frontal photo of its high-performance Aurion, this is the first glimpse of its rear spoiler and hi-tech-looking peepholes for the twin exhausts. Check out also the big wheels - 19-inches by the look of them - and TRD-issue red calipers. As previously seen, the frontal treatment introduces a stronger-jawed look than the mainstream Aurion. The relatively restrained rear treatment looks like its keeping with TRD's philosophy for its go-fast Aurion, a position somewhere between Subaru's Sti division and the V8-powered glorious excess of HSV and FPV. “TRD stands for an optimal blend of performance, refinement, handling and Toyota's traditional quality, durability and reliability,” Toyota marketing chief David Buttner says. The TRD Aurion's door badges, bearing the Mercedes-like designation of 3500 SL, are no doubt calculated to add to its up-market image. With about 235kW and substantial torque lift from its 3.5-litre supercharged V6, Buttner compares the TRD's performance with refinement formula to the Alfa Romeo 159 or Volkswagen Golf R32. We'll be able to decide for ourselves when the TRD Aurion is launched next month; it is expected to be priced about $60,000. Aside from the usual local Holden SS and Ford XR suspects, there's not a surfeit of biggish sedans to offer comparable bang for these kind of bucks, with Mitsubishi having shelved plans to put the hot supercharged TMR version of its 380 into production. A front-wheel-drive and presumably cheaper version of Alfa Romeo's currently all-paw-only 159 V6 is part of the revision planned for the 2008 range. Volkswagen says the R36 version of its Passat V6 4Motion will arrive either by the end of 2008 or early 2009. With Toyota having long since expunged any remotely stirring models from its line-up (who'd have thought it possible to feel nostalgia for the Celica or the last MR2?) it will be amusing to see if buyers cotton-on to what seems the borderline bizarre idea of a high performance car with this maker's badge. Indeed, if it's only half-decent, the TMR would serve to provide the only spark of excitement in Toyota's utterly vanilla line-up. It's not as though a company whose perennial sales success seems as assured as the coming of the dawn actually needs such a gadget, which makes it all the more gratifying that they're having a bit of go. Still, Lexus money for an Aurion?