2001 Toyota Sydney Motor Show Press Kit

17 October 2001

1. NEW COROLLA UNVEILED AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW
2. TOYOTA KLUGER TESTS THE WATER AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW
3. TOYOTA AVENSIS MAKES AUSTRALIAN DEBUT
4. TOYOTA’S F1 CAR UNVEILED AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW
5. UPGRADED TOYOTAS DEBUT AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW
6. TARAGO MOBILITY TO HELP THE DISABLED
7. TOYOTA HYBRID TECHNOLOGY STARS IN SYDNEY
8. PRIUS SPEARHEADS TOYOTA'S NEW EARTH CHARTER

NEW COROLLA UNVEILED AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW

Toyota has unveiled its next generation Corolla at the Sydney Motor Show, marking the car’s first public appearance in the southern hemisphere.
Show-goers can see a preview of the European-styled Corolla Seca and a new lifestyle wagon model before their Australian market launch in December.

The Corolla’s completely new design features greater interior space thanks to a longer wheelbase and increased height.

The new Corolla marks the return of a 100kW motor to the Corolla range for the first time since the SX Twin Cam model was deleted in 1994.

The new VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing - intelligent) 1.8 litre Twin Cam Multi-valve engine was first seen in Toyota’s MR2 sports car.

In the new Corolla, the engine produces 100kW of power and 171Nm of torque, up substantially from the 85kW and 154Nm of the current Corolla.

The new engine also features reduced exhaust emissions and exceeds the requirements of the Californian Air Research Board ( CARB).

The Corolla will feature a number of safety improvements including the option of an Anti-skid Braking System (ABS) featuring Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) for greater stability during braking.

The system also features Brake Assist (BA) which automatically increases braking effort if it detects insufficient force on the brake pedal while emergency braking is in progress.

The brake pedal also has an anti-intrusion structure to help prevent the pedal from thrusting into the driver’s foot in the event of a frontal collision.

The new Corolla will be the first model in the Australian Small Car Class (VFACTS) to be available with the option of front seat side airbags.

New Corolla will also be available with a new 4-in-1 radio/cassette/CD and DVD Satellite Navigation unit.

The unit features a large touch screen which is used to access navigation and audio functions, as well as display other information.

The new Corolla will be available in three body styles - sedan, Seca and wagon.

It will be the first Corolla wagon sold in Australia since 1994.

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TOYOTA KLUGER TESTS THE WATER AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW

Toyota has revealed its new Kluger sports-utility vehicle (SUV) at the Sydney Motor Show to test Australian customer reaction to the model.
Kluger is a mid-sized four-wheel drive wagon based on the next generation Camry chassis platform. It was designed for buyers seeking the image and versatility of an SUV, but who also place priority on the ride, handling and comfort of a sedan.

Kluger is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine mated to a viscous coupled constant four-wheel-drive system for greater on-road stability and off-road traction.

The DOHC, 24-valve V6 engine is VVT-i-equipped.

It is mated to a four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with "snow" low-traction mode.

Kluger rides on independent MacPherson struts with L-shaped control arms, stabiliser bar and low-pressure gas-sealed shock absorbers at the front, and dual link MacPherson strut suspension with stabilizer bar at the rear.

Brakes are four-wheel discs fitted with an anti-skid braking system (ABS) featuring electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and brake assist (BA).

The Kluger’s safety features include dual front SRS airbags, optional side airbags, seatbelts with Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) and Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR), and a fuel cut-off system which activates in a collision.

The Kluger’s interior is roomy, and the seating can be arranged in numerous ways to suit individual preferences.

Kluger was recently awarded Car and Driver magazine’s “Best Large Sports Utility Vehicle” in the United States, where it is sold under the Highlander nameplate.

Toyota Australia is evaluating the vehicle for possible local sale.

“Australians have demonstrated a growing appetite for mid-sized 4WD’s with car-like comfort and dynamics - and Kluger may suit the local market,” said Toyota’s senior executive vice-president John Conomos.

Kluger is built at Toyota’s Kyushu plant in Japan.

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TOYOTA AVENSIS MAKES AUSTRALIAN DEBUT

Toyota’s new Avensis Verso family wagon has made its first Australian public appearance at the 2001 Sydney Motor Show.
The seven-seater Avensis Verso is not scheduled to go on sale locally until mid-December.

It is powered by a fuel-injected 2.0 litre, 16-valve VVT-i engine producing 110kW of power and 192Nm of torque.

Toyota designed the Avensis Verso’s body to achieve a high level of crash impact absorption.

The vehicle topped a European collision safety test that measured seven MPV models for protection against side impact, side impact into a pole and frontal impact.

The Avensis Verso is fitted with dual front SRS airbags, front seat side airbags and front seat curtain shield airbags on higher grade model.

Other safety features include ABS anti-skid brakes fitted with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution).

Engine, road and wind noise has been significantly dampened to produce the cabin quietness experienced in more expensive passenger cars.

The Avensis Verso is the most aerodynamic vehicle in its class with a drag co-efficient of just 0.30 Cd.

The vehicle’s underbody has been designed for a smooth airflow beneath the vehicle.

Spats placed before the front wheels re-direct the airflow to reduce drag.

The Avensis Verso’s 60-litre fuel tank is mounted in front of the rear axle to provide more room in the rear cargo area and improve the centre of gravity.

The spare tyre is located under the front seats, allowing a large 132-litre storage space to be located beneath the cargo deck.

The Toyota Avensis Verso will be available in eight colours.

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TOYOTA’S F1 CAR UNVEILED AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW

Toyota’s all-new Formula One car has made its first appearance in the southern hemisphere at the 2001 Sydney Motor Show.
The V-10 powered Panasonic Toyota Racing car will contest its first-ever Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne on March 6, 2002.

Toyota announced its entry into Formula One in March 1999.

It is the only car manufacturer other than Ferrari to design and build in-house a complete Formula One car.

The first prototype Toyota Formula One car was unveiled on March 23, 2001 and began its first test at the team’s home track at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, with drivers Mika Salo and Allan McNish.

The Cologne-based Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has since conducted intensive tests at Imola, Monza, Barcelona, Magny-Cours, Silverstone, Spa-Franchochamps, Nurburgring, Hungaroring, the A-1 Ring and Sepang.

Toyota Motorsport (TMG) was responsible for Toyota’s seven titles in the World Rally Championship and its successful Le Mans sports car project.

It now employs 550 specialists from 27 different nationalities after undergoing a $250 million upgrade as part of its stewardship of Toyota’s Formula One project.

Toyota Motorsport TMG has been developing the car’s aerodynamics and electronics, in addition to evaluating multiple engine prototypes in recent testing.

The team was able to test and measure several inter-dependent parameters for the first time at Budapest on September 4.

"We have now started to work for the first time on all systems together such as electronics, launch control, traction control, and engine mappings," said technical manager for the Toyota F1 chassis, Dago Röhrer.

"Before we worked on each system individually, but we have now put them all together to optimise the systems on the circuit.”

Both drivers took part in a mock qualifying session followed by a warm-up session the next morning and a full race simulation in the afternoon at the A-1 Ring, Austria in mid-September.

McNish was buoyed by the car’s performance in his first visit to Sepang, Malaysia, venue of the team’s most recent test.

“I am quite happy with the times I did particularly as I was testing with used tyres,” the former American Le Mans Series winner said.

”The test in general was very important for us because the first three races of next year are all fly-away and it is essential for the whole team to get some logistics experience before Australia in March,” he added.

Australian teenager Ryan Briscoe was signed to Toyota's new driver development program earlier in the year.

After winning the Italian Formula Monomarque Championship recently, it is intended that Briscoe will progress to Formula 3 in 2002.

Toyota’s driver development program is intended to foster young talent all the way up to Formula One.

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UPGRADED TOYOTAS DEBUT AT SYDNEY MOTOR SHOW

Toyota has upgraded versions of its popular HiLux workhorse and Avalon large family sedan at the Sydney Motor Show.
The HiLux features all-new frontal styling, including an aggressive one-bar grille and a raised bonnet, which gives it a sporty, forceful appearance.

All HiLux models feature new front bumper and valance designs, while the SR5 model on display at the show features a new multi-reflector headlight design.

At the rear the SR5 also has new clear-coloured multi-reflector tailights and a restyled tailgate with two relief lines and a curved surface.

Inside, the new HiLux features a revised instrument cluster and centre console with cup holder.

New seat fabrics, and a rear coat hook on dual cab models, complete the upgrade.

The Sydney Motor Show also marks the debut of an enhanced Avalon Mk II family car range, featuring technical improvements, revised exterior and interior trims, and improved specification lists for all model grades.

Among the technical improvements is the adoption on all model grades of High Solar Energy Absorbing (HSEA) glass which absorbs more of the UV and solar transmissions from the sun, thereby reducing heat build-up in the car and lessening demand on air conditioning.

Avalon Conquest now features new design 15 inch wheel caps and new "Spectra" seat trim.

The external appearance of Avalon CSX have been enhanced by the adoption of standard 15 inch alloy wheels, body-coloured door handles and side protection mouldings and new “Riviera “ seat trim.

Avalon VXi now features new design 16 inch alloy wheels, and can be ordered with a VXi Limited option pack consisting of leather seat trim, moon roof and “Limited “ badging.

The Grande receives an exclusive design of 16 inch alloys, new leather and wood four spoke steering wheel, satellite navigation as standard and a revised audio system which includes the adoption of a boot-mounted 6-disc CD-changer.

Conquest, CSX and VXi grade also receive stylish new audio system designs featuring larger displays for better visibility and bigger buttons for easier use.

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TARAGO MOBILITY TO HELP THE DISABLED

Toyota is using this year’s Sydney Motor Show to evaluate the Australian market potential for a modified Tarago that assists the disabled.
The Tarago Mobility is designed, engineered and built by Toyota for the Japanese market.

It features a passenger-side seat that electronically deploys from the side of the vehicle and converts to a wheelchair that can be pushed around by the carer.

Tarago Mobility uses purpose-built components dedicated to the vehicle.

The modified seat trims match exactly the rest of the Tarago’s interior trim.

The vehicle comes with full factory warranty and is sold and serviced by the Toyota dealer network in Japan.

Toyota Australia is encouraging feedback on the Tarago Mobility at the Sydney Motor Show.

It will decide, in conjunction with Toyota Japan, the viability of providing complete Mobility vehicles here, or components to allow conversion of existing vehicles.

A questionnaire at the information desk on the Toyota stand will gauge public reaction to the Mobility concept.

Toyota currently makes available 81 different conversions on 41 vehicles which serve 67 percent of the Japanese market.

Toyota first introduced ‘Friendmatic’ models to make driving easier for disabled people in 1965.

The company began developing a modified version of its Coaster to carry disabled passengers in 1968.

The Toyota ‘Handycab’ range was introduced in 1981 using in-house technology.

The Handycab was superseded by the Toyota Welcab range in 1996 to accommodate handicapped passengers.

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TOYOTA HYBRID TECHNOLOGY STARS IN SYDNEY

Toyota is showcasing two ground-breaking hybrid engined vehicles at the Sydney Motor Show.
The Prius is the first four-door, five-seat hybrid-engined sedan to be offered for sale in Australia.

It uses approximately half the petrol of an equivalent-sized conventional car and emits approximately half the carbon dioxide on a typical city drive cycle.

Emissions of carbon monoxide, NOx and hydrocarbons are one thirteenth of legislated maximum permissible levels and one fifth those of an equivalent conventional car.

The Toyota Hybrid System in Prius seamlessly combines the power of an advanced 1.5-litre 53 kW petrol engine and a 33kW electric motor.

The petrol engine automatically switches off when the car is stationary.

Energy that is not required to propel the car is converted to electricity and stored in a sealed 274 Volt battery, for use when required.

Regenerative braking allows the vehicle to convert kinetic energy into additional electricity.

Prius has a unique computer controlled constantly variable transmission, which allows the car to drive as an automatic.

Twelve computers control the vehicle’s drive system, battery, inverters, cooling systems, steering, ABS brakes and airbag SRS.

Apart from its unique drive system, Prius is a fully specified normal four door sedan, capable of seating five adults.

It requires no special training to drive, uses 91 RON unleaded fuel and has 392 litres of boot space.

Toyota has also displayed the world’s first volume-production four-wheel-drive hybrid vehicle at the Sydney show.

The seven-seat Tarago Hybrid combines petrol and electric drive for the front wheels with electric drive for the rear wheels, thereby slashing greenhouse emissions and providing greater on-road versatility compared with a conventional family wagon.

The Tarago Hybrid has an unprecedented three breakthrough power-management technologies - THS-C, E-Four and ECB.

THS-C (Toyota Hybrid System-CVT) combines a petrol engine, electric motor and constantly variable transmission to power the front axle.

The compact CVT provides a wide-range continuously variable gear ratio, high performance and seamless transition from low to high speeds.

The rear transaxle combines an electric motor and differential gear in a single unit, for a more lightweight, compact structure.

The E-Four electric 4WD system regulates a rear-mounted electric motor to power the rear wheels, and to coordinate power distribution to all four wheels.

E-Four provides better driving performance by controlling the rear-wheel drive motor - as it coordinates electric power distribution to all four wheels according to the driving conditions.

It also provides additional drive power when needed, such as when accelerating from a standing start or on slippery road surfaces.

ECB (Electronically Controlled Brake system) is the first electronically controlled braking system in a production vehicle.

It improves environmental performance, handling and driving stability - using independent and linear hydraulic controls for each wheel to provide efficient wheel-by-wheel brake control and optimum management of the regenerative brake system.

Tarago Hybrid has a potential cruising range of 1000 kilometres and achieves double the fuel efficiency outlined by Japanese government standards for 2010.

It greatly reduces carbon dioxide emissions and slashes hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen output to better than 75 percent below Japanese Year 2000 standards.

The hybrid Tarago also features a variety of power-generating and convenience-enhancing features.

The vehicle’s innovative hybrid system generates up to 1500 Watts of auxiliary 100-volt AC power - more than enough to power anything from a laptop to a hair dryer.

Advanced Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technologies include a navigation and (ETC)-compatible electronic toll collection multi-information display, as well as an optional back-up guide monitor system.

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PRIUS SPEARHEADS TOYOTA'S NEW EARTH CHARTER

The two Toyota Hybrid System-powered cars on display at this year’s Sydney Motor Show are part of an initiative by Toyota to assume leadership in environmental manufacturing.
Toyota is showcasing the just-launched Prius sedan, and the Tarago Hybrid family wagon at the show.

The environmental quest by Toyota is company wide, and embraces waste saving practices from design to disposal.

Toyota adopted its New Earth Charter in accordance with United Nations Agenda 21 guidelines in 1992 as a means of questioning and improving all aspects of its global manufacturing business - largely ahead of legislative requirement.

It revised it only last year to incorporate "challenging the achievement of zero emissions."

The company has been voted Japan's most environmentally aware company for two consecutive years by a Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper survey.

Toyota Motor Corporation president Fujio Cho regards the environment as the core management issue of his company.

It is also a means of achieving advantage: “Looking back at the history of automobiles, Japan's starting line was widely different from that of Europe and the US,” Mr Cho said.

“When Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda went to the US and was dreaming of manufacturing automobiles in 1929, the US was already producing five million cars a year.

“However, the starting line for environmental technology is at the same point.

“It is my sincere wish to work hard so that one day we will be able to point to the various contributions that Japan has made to automotive technology,” Mr Cho said.

“The social mission given to us as an automaker is to maximise the automobile's benefits and minimise its drawbacks.”

In 1999, the last year for which figures are available, Toyota spent Y101billion directly on environmental capital investment and research. Much of its Y400billion research and development budget was also spent on environmental issues.

The company is well advanced on a program to reduce muda, muri and mura - waste, excess and imbalance.

Already there is a return on this significant investment. In the 1999 financial year, the last available recorded period, reductions in energy costs and waste in Toyota's Japanese factories amounted to Y17billiion.

The company's global manufacturing operations and its suppliers are being actively encouraged to adopt ISO 14001 certification, an international standard to create global parameters for environmental management.

The goal is not just to receive certification but to raise environmental performance through continuous improvement.

“Creating automobiles with low environmental impact is no longer just one option for an automaker - it has become a crucial corporate task,” Mr Cho said.

“It could be said that without environmental initiatives, the automobile has no future.”

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