Toyota Rukus News

If choice is a luxury, then Australian new-car buyers were rolling in it a decade ago.

Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) has said that approximately 71.7 per cent of its vehicles caught up in the Takata airbag recall had already been rectified.

Toyota Australia is recalling 48,000 Corolla and Rukus vehicles to check installation of the passenger side front airbag inflator.

Cars are either being built worse -- or companies are getting better at detecting faults.a range of models made over the last 10 years replacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia. a second, airbag-related recall for the Priusreplacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia

More than 80 per cent of dog owners take their canine companions along in their vehicles.

The FJ Cruiser, originally planned to join the boxy Rukus wagon in showrooms this year, is not coming until the first quarter of 2011.  The delay is caused by an upcoming update of the FJ, which is focussed on the USA. "There might have been talk about this year, but it's now in its facelift phase at the moment in the USA. It picks up some changes, mostly interior," says Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen.  "We're waiting for the facelift model. That means it will be in the first quarter of next year. "It's more a question of timing. We'll probably have stock early in the new year but wait until everyone gets back from holidays." The FJ Cruiser is based on the previous-generation Prado and is yet to make the full mechanical switch to the latest car, which landed in Australia late last year. It was designed at Toyota's Calty studio in California soon after its chief stylist, Bill Chergosky, joined the company in 2002. First seen at the Detroit Motor Show in 2006 as a concept, it went on sale in 2007.  Breen says there are no problems with the FJ program, which is intended to give Toyota shoppers a more-youthful choice against off- road favourites including the Jeep Wrangler. "It's not delayed because of any issues, we just want to make sure we have the latest specification," Breen says.  While the FJ Cruiser is not coming until 2011, the Rukus is taking time to build traction in Australia. The FJ Cruiser is built over the previous-generation Prado.  Toyota claims it is hitting its 150-a-month sales target but official Vfacts sales figures show only 122 were delivered in June.  Even the size of the target is put into perspective in a small-car class where Toyota's own Corolla is the class leader in June, with 4194 deliveries, followed by the Mazda3 at 3680. Even the lacklustre Kia Cerato more than doubled the Rukus result in June. "It's a niche car. It's taking time to pick up," says Breen.  "We're pretty happy. No, we're very happy.  We haven't spent much on advertising. The dealers are doing a good job at the local level." Toyota claims the Rukus is doing its job on the youth front, with more than half of buyers below the brand's 50-something average age.  "More than 40 per cent of Rukus customers are from Generation X who are now in their 30s and 40s, and there is healthy demand from motorists in their 20s," says Scott Thompson, corporate marketing manager at Toyota Australia.

Decked out in wild paint jobs, ultra-low profile tyres and edgy alloys, these two funky cars are spreading the word that Toyota is walking on the wild side with its new Rukus.  "It's Rukus by name and rukus by nature," according to Toyota Australia's marketing manager Scott Thompson.Toyota Australia is using the racy pair to snare interest from the car's target market of Gen-Y buyers.  They received a big reaction at the recent Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and will be showcased at various dealers ahead of a June 1 on-sale date.Thompson says Rukus will appeal mainly to young, urban trend-setters, many of whom have previously never owned a Toyota.   "Rukus is anything but a standard car," he says.  "That's exactly why we're introducing it."He admits the boxy shape will polarise opinions and is likely to spark spirited debate.  "Rukus is not a mass- market car," he says. "It's an acquired taste."  However, Toyota is confident its space, performance and quirky looks will win over younger fans.The Rukus is based on the bB in Japan and re-badged in the US as a Scion xB.  Toyota has rummaged around its parts bin for its newest hatch.The Australian car is expected to use the same engine as the US version, a 118kW/220Nm 2.4-litre four cylinder shared with other Toyota models.  The front-wheel drive five-door wagon also sits on the same 2600mm wheelbase as the Corolla hatch.However, compared to the Corolla, the Rukus is marginally longer and 128mm higher.  Like the grand prix show cars, owners will be about to pimp their rides with a long list of equipment upgrades available from Toyota.Toyota is drawing on similar customisation ‘packs’ available in youth-oriented models like the Kia Soul, Mini and Smart.  Australian models will be imported from Japan, receiving the latest updates seen in the US version.  In the US the Scion xB has been named a ‘top safety pick’ in each of the past two years by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, scoring its highest safety designation.Although local prices and specifications have not been released, the xB is tipped to be available in two trim levels with entry prices from around $22,000.

The youngsters are making new motoring choices and Toyota Australia believes the Rumion, based on the all-new Corolla, could be a winner with a combination of a boxy body and a hi-tech cabin.The Rumion looks very different to the Corolla and that could be the secret to its success, provided it can come at the right price and before the middle of 2009.“Generation Y wants something that looks different. They are expressing themselves in a different way,” Toyota Australia product planning chief Doug Soden says.He says the Rumion is a reflection of a similar trend in Japan, where a lot of 20-somethings are into their first job but still live at home. In the US, Toyota has built the Scion sub-brand to appeal to Gen-Y buyers with similar boxy baby cars.“They want a lifestyle. Rather than a variant that looks like a Yaris or a Corolla, they want something that looks different,” Soden says.The Rumion is a compact five-seat wagon, but much more upright in the body than a traditional station wagon. It has a 1.8-litre engine and can be fitted with a six-speed manual or constantly variable transmission.“We are studying a growing Gen-Y market that has a need for funky-looking cars that haven't as much high performance in the engines and handling. They want more high-performance specification and functionality,” Soden says.He says too that Australia is catching up fast to the international trend, which is why he is keen to get the Rumion on the road here. Even so, he can't promise the car for Australia.“We have to consider the volume, price and engineering work to get it to Australia,” Soden adds. “It is among the vehicles we are studying closely, and there is a case to have it. Do you think Australia is ready for a car like the boxy Rumion?