Aurion Exterior/Interior Pictures

[Azza]

Dude, I hope you can appreciate out skepticism about this. You have come on here advising us certain information that at times seems a little unreaslistic and/or contradictory....

Maybe your Dad can take a photo for us. If there really was an event where he was doing Donuts in the Aurion and

He also got a big applause from the workers when he started doing burnouts in the factory

then surely one of these 'cheering' people had a camera or a mobile with a camera and took a photo or 2....

With the number of people walking around these days with this sort of technology, there is a bloody good chance that someone caught this on video....

[Buri_Sportivo]

Dude, I hope you can appreciate out skepticism about this. You have come on here advising us certain information that at times seems a little unreaslistic and/or contradictory....

Maybe your Dad can take a photo for us. If there really was an event where he was doing Donuts in the Aurion and

He also got a big applause from the workers when he started doing burnouts in the factory

then surely one of these 'cheering' people had a camera or a mobile with a camera and took a photo or 2....

With the number of people walking around these days with this sort of technology, there is a bloody good chance that someone caught this on video....

Ok, i'll ask my old man's friends if they have done any recording. It's at the factory anyway i can guess that people were more busy looking at the car then taking their fones out and recording but yeh maybe someone recorded. It will be good to see a video too because i would like to see the aurion in action. :)

btw I also asked my dad how come he didn't get trouble for doing dohnuts with it and he joked and said that all the people were already familiar with his driving abilities. :) It would be stupid for me to say that he's a very well balanced driver but he really does know how to control a car + he has worked for toyota for the last 7 years and he's a really good motivator for his workteam and he's a very respected man.

Edited May 17, 2006 by Buri_Sportivo

[Buri_Sportivo]

Toyota takes on HSV and FPV

08-05-06

Words - John Carey

Its new performance division aims to change buyer perceptions about the brand by toughening-up Toyota's image.

Another part of Toyota’s grand plan to consolidate its position as Australia’s Number One automotive company was revealed yesterday.

The announcement made it official that TRD (stands for Toyota Racing Development) is to be the brand for Toyota Australia’s future range of performance models.

A supercharged version of the Australian-made six-cylinder Aurion will be the first TRD-branded model. It’s scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2007.

This car was previewed at the Melbourne International Motor Show earlier this year. In the Toyota Style Australia studio in Melbourne a huge block of foam was computer-carved to reveal some, but not too many, of the TRD Aurion’s design features. Hand finished to give the impression that a full-size car had been partly milled from a massive lump of solid titanium, the finished project was shown beside a much more real prototype of its supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine.

The move to compete with Holden’s HSV and Ford’s FPV is seen as critically important by senior Toyota Australia executives. And this represents a major alteration in attitude for the company.

According to ebullient marketing boss Peter Evans, the process began with a thorough, nationwide market research program. The results, especially the finding that one out of every two new car buyers wouldn’t consider Toyota, were unexpected by some.

“Our senior management were absolutely convinced that anybody would buy a Toyota,” says Evans, “we just have to have the right product.”

“Forty eight percent said ‘Oh, no, Toyota doesn’t say the right things about me. I don’t aspire to a Toyota. If I drive a Toyota I’m seen as conservative’,” says Evans. “All the stuff you know…

"We had to put it into perspective," Evans said. "There's a higher percentage who won't consider Holden, there's an even higher percentage who won't consider Ford, and there's an incredibly high percentage who won't even consider a Hyundai.

“To move to 250,000 (annual sales in Australia) we have to increase the availability of people to the Toyota Brand,” he said. “We’re already Number One. There are more people who are willing to buy a Toyota than any other brand, based on our research. But, if we want to increase our sales even further, and move from 20 percent market share to 25 percent market share, then we’ve still got to bring some of that 48 percent into the fold.”

High-performance models were identified as crucial to adding to Toyota’s appeal, Evans said, and to make the most of the company’s motorsport achievements.

“We’ve got a fantastic, rich heritage in motorsport, going back to the Toyota-7 CanAm car, and winning the Thousand Lakes Rally with a Corolla in 1972, and we’ve won Indianapolis in 2003, but if you ask the average punter, and we have, they haven’t got a clue. And that’s our fault,” he said.

The other problem was a shortage of cars that could credibly take advantage of Toyota’s past and present motorsport activities. Toyota headquarters had killed off Made-in-Japan models like the Celica and MR2. Further, Japan was unwilling to allocate scarce engineering resource to certifying the shrinking number of performance cars in its catalogue for Australia.

If Toyota Motor Corporation couldn’t do it, explains Evans, then Toyota Motor Corporation Australia itself would have to take on the task of developing some exciting cars.

“It [TRD Australia] was given added impetus, I guess, by the recognition that it could be one of the keys to unlocking the unavailable people who wouldn’t consider Toyota by giving us an image and a product they would like to drive,” Evans said.

To read more about TRD, watch for Wheels June, on sale May 24.

http://wheels.carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/Desk...&Alias=wheelsau

[Cosmo]

I like the sounds of that 250kw and AWD. Whether it's a true competitor to HSV and FPV, I don't think so. I think it's more like an S(The VE one should be looking nice)/XR6T competitor.

[-JC-]

Obviously you dont know when to stop Borry.

I think this story is similar to when you "ordered" a Corolla sportivo, around about the same time that I had to search the country for a new sportivo as dealers had already snapped them all up (yes I checked with the "factory"), and at that time there was no such thing as ordering a sportivo, as dealers already had the last of them in showrooms. You quoted 2 months for delivery, I picked mine up within 2 weeks of making an enquiry, and I had to fly from brisbane to sydney, which delayed the process by a week or so as I had to work, so this isnt the first time you have been, how shall we say . . . . . questioned.

You have dad on the inside, yet your quoting information from an official press release?

As I said previously, if your gonna spin ****, you may as well make it beleiveable. I don't doubt that Toyota are building a supercharged Aurion, but I doubt very highly that the supervisor of "bumper bars" is about to be offered a drive in the prototype, and if by some strange twist of fate he did get a drive, he would already have lost his job for doing "burnouts", oh I mean "doughnuts" "in the factory" oh I mean "outside" oh I mean "somewhere near the factory thats clear". In fact, I would be willing to bet my sportivo that your full of the proverbial.

As for competing with HSV and FPV, do you really think that someone who has bought big power rear drivers is going to swap that for a cardigan car with a big engine and AWD? Somehow I just dont think the camry, I mean Aurion is going to impact on V8 sales that much? Fuel costs would have more chance of turning people off V8's than ANOTHER Awd rocket.

Like you said, you must have been drunk, or something. Were you drunk? Or were you "something"

Examples of your bull**** follow:

Dads been with Toyota for 7 yrs has he?

I trust my dad's words because he's been with toyota for the last 5 years and everything he has told me has turned out correct. Posted on: Feb 20 2006, 10:19 PM

Refer above:

I just cancelled my order for sportivo corolla today as i had a discussion with my father earlier yesterday about the aurion sportivo and i'm definately looking forward to that. Posted on: Feb 20 2006, 10:13 PM (14 days before I took delivery of one of the last 17 Stivos in the country)

Refer above:

My sportivo corolla arrives in 2 months and my dad said that the dvd sat nav was expensive. But 4500 dollars for a screen? Feb 15 2006, 06:55 PM (20 days before I took delivery of one of the last 17 Stivos in the country)

Do I need to continue? Or are you going to stop lying?

[Buri_Sportivo]

Obviously you dont know when to stop Borry.

I think this story is similar to when you "ordered" a Corolla sportivo, around about the same time that I had to search the country for a new sportivo as dealers had already snapped them all up (yes I checked with the "factory"), and at that time there was no such thing as ordering a sportivo, as dealers already had the last of them in showrooms. You quoted 2 months for delivery, I picked mine up within 2 weeks of making an enquiry, and I had to fly from brisbane to sydney, which delayed the process by a week or so as I had to work, so this isnt the first time you have been, how shall we say . . . . . questioned.

You have dad on the inside, yet your quoting information from an official press release?

As I said previously, if your gonna spin ****, you may as well make it beleiveable. I don't doubt that Toyota are building a supercharged Aurion, but I doubt very highly that the supervisor of "bumper bars" is about to be offered a drive in the prototype, and if by some strange twist of fate he did get a drive, he would already have lost his job for doing "burnouts", oh I mean "doughnuts" "in the factory" oh I mean "outside" oh I mean "somewhere near the factory thats clear". In fact, I would be willing to bet my sportivo that your full of the proverbial.

As for competing with HSV and FPV, do you really think that someone who has bought big power rear drivers is going to swap that for a cardigan car with a big engine and AWD? Somehow I just dont think the camry, I mean Aurion is going to impact on V8 sales that much? Fuel costs would have more chance of turning people off V8's than ANOTHER Awd rocket.

Like you said, you must have been drunk, or something. Were you drunk? Or were you "something"

Examples of your bull**** follow:

Dads been with Toyota for 7 yrs has he?

I trust my dad's words because he's been with toyota for the last 5 years and everything he has told me has turned out correct. Posted on: Feb 20 2006, 10:19 PM

Refer above:

I just cancelled my order for sportivo corolla today as i had a discussion with my father earlier yesterday about the aurion sportivo and i'm definately looking forward to that. Posted on: Feb 20 2006, 10:13 PM (14 days before I took delivery of one of the last 17 Stivos in the country)

Refer above:

My sportivo corolla arrives in 2 months and my dad said that the dvd sat nav was expensive. But 4500 dollars for a screen? Feb 15 2006, 06:55 PM (20 days before I took delivery of one of the last 17 Stivos in the country)

Do I need to continue? Or are you going to stop lying?

There's somethings you need to consider before calling someone liar on the internet. As a human being not a robot, i can make typing mistakes. And yes as you showed some of them above, i can clearly see i made a few of them. It's definately 7.

2nd thing is when i ordered my corolla at the time it was a close moment for the sportivo corolla to end its production and there was only a silver and red available. However i ordered black. That's why i had 2 wait months for it. Please tell me how i was supposed to get a black corolla sportivo from a dealership when maybe they didn't even have any. Im not even sure where the cars come from. We have bought 3 toyota's till this day and im positive none of them came from the dealerships but straight out of the factory. What the fuk is a dealer going to know about when people give orders to the fkn factory. You gave your order to a dealer. I gave my order through the personel's at altona factory. And the person who gave the order in just not a normal customer, he's an employee. There's a bit of a difference there. Don't act like a smart ***** because you make no typing mistakes. I don't spend my life on the internet. I do not go over what i write on forums. Just because i made fkn 2-3 typing mistakes, it doesn't mean im lying. I don't give a rats ***** if you believe me or not. I am trully telling the truth. I might've mucked up peoples heads if i wrote 5 first and then 7 but i accept that it looks wrong and it's nothing but a typing mistake. Im going to be the one who's buying that car when it hits productions so what do you care about apart from your corolla? Im not giving false info here im telling you what i saw and hear. So please respect that.

[BigBum]

Damn, we need some inside pics! :D

Whether or not the story is true, who cares. There will be a new range of high performance Toyota's next year. That's all we need to know. Any more surprises from Toyota is going be a bonus.

Anyone with any info about the new range, keep us up to date! :)

[leasaunce]

Hmmm.... <_<

I think everyone need to chill out for abit here! ;)

[u54mot]

Now back onto the topic

Here are some more pictures......but they're pictures of the chinese camry....so the interior may or may not be different.....maybe someone can ask their dad if the aurion's interior some what looks like the chinese camry's.....or completely different

[leasaunce]

so luxury, love the woodgrain n all the leather trimsssss B)

[Cosmo]

The one down here definintely won't be that luxurious. The gen5 camrys in HK/China are much nicer than the ones here. They're more..."premo". But from what I can see, the aurion's interior is pretty much like the camry's.

[Azza]

Judging by the way TMC is building this car up, I wouldn't at all be surprised if the Aurion either comes with a Standard or Optional Leather trim. I hope it does.

It's funny how when you get certain features in a vehicle, that you tend to never want to loose them when you change cars. After owning a Corolla Sportivo, my next vehicle is definitly having Leather, Climiate Control and 4 Power Windows.......even if I buy an Echo... :P

Since my wife has been using Sat Nav for her work, it looks like that will be a standard feature on our next car too....

I just need to make sure it is going to be as fun to drive as the Corolla Sportivo...

IMO, The Aurion looks OK from all indications we have had so far. Maybe if there is an AWD S/C Option, this may be my next car.... We'll see....but I definitly want those tinted headlights TMC are showing the car with.... :D

[Cosmo]

"In China, the Camry's competition targets are BMW and Mercedes-Benz sedans." -

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=114963#2

Which explains the intensity of luxury in those photos. I would be surprised if the Aurion here came standard with leather, since it's supposed to be up against Falcadores (XT/Executive anyone?), but for sure, it will be standard on the top model.

[mick0082]

Personally, the Aurion hints at exterior styling similar to the IS250 but with squarer front and rear than the IS.

Interior layout looks like a nice evolution from the current Camry. Lets just hope they give us an alternative option of carbon look trim instead of that awful woodgrain. Grey/charcoal leather and plastics would also be a welcome option.

Edited May 27, 2006 by mick0082

[Azza]

mmm, IS250....

I'll be happy with Leather Trim and a decent performing engine. I was reading forums here the other day, apparently it has AWD and capable of burnouts in confined spaces, and a S/C.... :P

[Buddha]

mmm, IS250....

I'll be happy with Leather Trim and a decent performing engine. I was reading forums here the other day, apparently it has AWD and capable of burnouts in confined spaces, and a S/C.... :P

Here, Azza, let me hold that pot while you stir! :P

[sharmz]

We'll I'll look forward to seeing the car when it's on the road I guess.

Guys, not to step on anyone's toes here, but on the off chance this kid does actually have a DAD who works for toyota and is just trying to contribute what information he has, perhaps we should cut him some slack.

There is no point everyone jumping on his case, though I agree, he has made some pretty crazy claims.

[NIKICH]

I read on drive.com.au that there will be a supercharged aurion but it will be front wheel drive only. The other news was that it had been delayed till next year as they were having minor problems, it could be that they are having problems putting all that 250kw through the front wheels....

[Blue_Steel]

That looks fully sick and hektic dude! Just needs to be dumped and it'll look sweet as a nut!

[Azza]

I read on drive.com.au that there will be a supercharged aurion but it will be front wheel drive only. The other news was that it had been delayed till next year as they were having minor problems, it could be that they are having problems putting all that 250kw through the front wheels....

Delaying the Aurion period, or just the SC version

[NIKICH]

Just the s/c....It took me a while but here is the article for yourself to read. Im sorry buri but in the article is says that its been confirmed that it will only be front wheel drive

http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...=20204&vf=1

[Azza]

No need to apologise to buri, he was full of poop anyway

[oVo]

Geez...talk bout bringing it up to the big Euro boiz eh.

If TMC is dat full-on wit its camrys....wat's Lexus sedans gonna be like in the future, cause dey very HOT already!!

[Blue_Steel]

They should of made it look more aggressive n stand apart from the camry models!

[69.NIX]

I like the look, leather is ok (not a fan in summer) fake wood - get rid of it

I prefer the fake carbon (or real if they not so tight!)

THIS A CALL OUT TO MRROLA!

I demand a free drive of the aurion from your work plus easy to pay off finance if i chose to buy one! :D