Autoblog

Toyota TRD Aurion sales suspended Down Under

Chris Shunk — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST

Toyota just released its performance TRD Aurion, but sales have ceased while the Japanese automaker investigates a potential engine failure issue. According to Toyota, the problem with the 323 HP V6 engine is unrelated to its supercharger or high output, and that the issue is likely a one-off. Toyota has 150 demo vehicles at its dealerships, and the automaker plans on inspecting each of those vehicles over a week's time to verify that a larger issue isn't at play.

Caution is always key when customer service and safety are at risk, so Toyota is doing the right thing by thoroughly investigating the issue before continuing sales. Assuming the engine problem is no big deal, we do hope that Toyota takes this sales break to consider selling a Camry version of the TRD Aurion here in the States, as the boring midsize sedan is anything but down under.

[Source: Drive]

Gallery: 2007 TRD Aurion 3500S (AU)

Toyota TRD Aurion sales suspended Down Under originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #75

Dan Roth — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Cadillac, Dodge, GM, Honda, Mini, Toyota, Misc. Auto Shows

So, it's a couple days late - call it a summer vacation hangover and let's just move on. We had a busy weekend covering both the Woodward Dream Cruise and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, which pushed our schedule back. Once in front of our mics, we start Autoblog Podcast #75 by mulling the 2008 Honda Accord. Damon regales us with the story of the Cadillac CTS media launch out at Laguna Seca. GM's made enough progress that we can just drop the "for a GM" modifier from the sentence "The new CTS is a great car." No longer able to heap abuse on the General, we look to Europe and find MINI. It seems nobody considered that the clamshell door setup on the Clubman should be engineered to swap sides, so it would always be on the passenger side, even in right-hand-drive countries. Whoops. Continuing with entertaining small cars, the Dodge Caliber SRT-4's pricing was announced. $23 large for 285 horsepower - such a deal. Big horsepower was also stuffed under a Toyota Aurion's Australian hood. The 320-odd horsepower Camry spinoff slaps our mamby-pamby weak-kneed Joe Camel Camry around pretty well. Don't change it, just send it. Speaking of car-lust, new DeLoreans are coming! $57,500 will buy you a hand built car that will net endless stupid-ass questions about the flux capacitor.

That's it - a meaty 51 minutes this week, enjoy!

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Autoblog Podcast #75 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Australia launches TRD Aurion with 323 HP

Alex Nunez — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:55:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Toyota, Australia

Click image for TRD Aurion gallery. Click here and here for more, too.

A year after it was initially shown in Sydney as the Toyota Aurion Sports Concept, and a few months after a closer-to-production version was displayed in Melbourne, Toyota Australia has officially launched the long-awaited TRD Aurion. While TRD-editions of existing Toyota vehicles have been available in many markets over the years, the TRD Aurion is the first vehicle worldwide to be sold as a TRD -- now established as a new, separate brand under Toyota, like AMG is worldwide for Mercedes, and HSV and FPV are for GM and Ford in Australia.

Viewed as a step up from the Toyota Aurion Sportivo in terms of both equipment, appearance, and performance, the TRD Aurion's greatest asset is its Eaton TVS (Twin Vortices Series) Supercharger, which sees its first production car application here. The blower gives the TRD Aurion over 323 horsepower and a torque peak of 296 lb-ft, which is channeled forward via a six-speed automatic with sequential shift. 0-100km/h (62 mph) takes 6.1 seconds, and the car is limited to a top speed of 155 mph. Neither number is particularly earth-shattering compared to other specialty models, but TRD says that the goal was to achieve all-around balance rather than all-out performance. Combined-cycle fuel economy for the TRD Aurion is 21.5 US MPG.

Follow the jump for more, including multiple press releases from Toyota Australia.

[Source: Toyota Australia]

Gallery: 2007 TRD Aurion (AU)

Gallery: 2007 TRD Aurion 3500S (AU)

Gallery: 2007 TRD Aurion 3500SL (AU)

Continue reading Toyota Australia launches TRD Aurion with 323 HP

Toyota Australia launches TRD Aurion with 323 HP originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the Autoblog Garage: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

Dane Muldoon — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:04:00 EST

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sedan, Toyota, First Drive

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res pics of the Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

For years, the large, family car market in Australia has been divided between the Aussie built GM Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon, both on the road and on the track. The large car market has been characterised not only by their size, but also by V6 or V8 powerplants running on rear-wheel drive platforms. For years, other competitors, including Mitsubishi with their Magna and more recently their 380 models, have tried to chip away at this virtual duopoly, with limited success.

The game is changing though. As the price of fuel has risen, the Australian car market has seen a massive shift away from large cars and towards more fuel efficient, medium sized models. The market is currently dominated by vehicles like the Mazda6, the Honda Accord, the Hyundai Sonata and in particular, the Toyota Camry. As Australia's largest passenger vehicle brand, Toyota has long enjoyed segment-leading sales with the Camry, and although it's not a sexy choice, Toyota's mid-sized sedan represents a smart purchase, with high re-sale value, good fuel economy and Toyota's reputation for outstanding reliability.

Continue reading the Toyota Aurion Sportivo review after the jump.

Gallery: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

In the Autoblog Garage: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sydney Special: Toyota Aurion Sports Concept

Alex Nunez — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Toyota

Click for photo gallery

Toyota is teasing Aussie customers with a very hot-looking show car that takes the new Aurion in a very sporty direction. The car is purely a styling exercise, so there's no news regarding any newfound goodness underhood, but Toyota Australia is careful to note that many of the appearance mods seen here are under consideration for a potential future sports model, which would likely be powered by "a supercharged or turbocharged version of an advanced Toyota engine."

We'll take that as a wink-wink, nudge-nudge, seeing as the Aussies love fast saloons, and there's clearly a market for them on the island continent. Anyway, back to the Aurion Sports Concept.

It's finished in Inferno Red with contrasting metallic grey accents where you'd find the more pedestrian chrome bits on a regular Aurion. In front, the car's aero kit is complemented by a floating grille frame with a mesh insert. The grey accent color carries the grille and upper half of the bumper down to the lower lip spoiler, recalling the type of look VW went for with its R-GT Passat in NY last April. That's not a bad thing at all, actually. It looks great here. In back, the upgraded rear bumper features integrated exhaust outlets and a diffuser insert. The big 5-spoke wheels are painted in the same metallic grey finish as the rest of the car's trim pieces. Finally, the glass and roof all get a blackout treatment.

Good stuff. Let's see if TRD can work up something this cool for our version of this car, the Camry.

(Photos, press release after the jump)

[Source: Toyota Australia]

Gallery: Toyota Aurion Sports Concept

Continue reading Sydney Special: Toyota Aurion Sports Concept

Sydney Special: Toyota Aurion Sports Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Aurion attempting to tackle Holden and Ford in Australia... again

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Toyota

Toyota is attempting to breach the large car market in Australia, again. Although past attempts were not exactly stellar, it thinks now it may have what it will take to succeed with the Aurion. This large front-wheel drive sedan effectively replaces the lamentable Avalon in the only market segment the company hasn't managed to make a dent in so far. The Toyota Aurion has already been advertised quite heavily and will hit dealerships soon, starting at an MSRP of AUS $34,990, including an electronic stability system, side curtain airbags and a six-speed automatic transmission across the lineup.

Since practically the birth of the Australian large car segment, the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon have dominated the market. Challengers from Chrysler, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and even Toyota have failed miserably, partly because of national pride and the fact that rwd seems to rule the roost there. Toyota Australia chairman emeritus John Conomos, admitted that some "traditionalists" will stick with the Falcon and Commodore. Yeah, we think so, too.

But Toyota Australia senior executive director of sales and marketing David Buttner downplayed the power of that group of buyers: "The tribalists love tradition and grunt. They've bought the same car for generations, largely determined by what their father bought - or which car won at Bathurst. They are a diminishing sub-segment, accounting for about 20 per cent of the market."

Toyota expects to sell around 2,000 Aurions per month, the same target they set for the Avalon at which that vehicle failed miserably. Where the Avalon was a warmed over version of the U.S. Avalon, the Aurion is essentially a Camry with a nose job and rear end redo. The biggest draw, however, is under the hood, where resides an advanced 3.5-litre V6 engine that produces a class-leading 200kW of power. That's 20kW more than the Commodore and 10kW more than the Falcon. And it gets better mileage to boot, achieving an impressive claim of 9.9 litres per 100km traveled. It's worth it to note that Toyota is also planning a supercharged version of the Aurion released under the Toyota Racing Development brand. Good luck Toyota, you're going to need it in that market.

Thanks for the tip, SunRay!

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]

Toyota Aurion attempting to tackle Holden and Ford in Australia... again originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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