Aussie 6's going in the wrong direction

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by 4.0i_SiX

Australians like big powerful RWD cars.

:
I think times are a changing.

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by deesun

Average age of Avalon buyers is 60. Toyota will have to lower that by about 50 years to make any real inroads into Falc/Commy.

The average age of Avalon owners is actually just under 55 - Falcon owners have an average age just under 50.

Personally, I don't think FWD/RWD is the real issue - enthusiasts on car forums are hardly representative of the general car buying public.

In the large car segment, the heritage and strength of the Falcon and Commodore brands are what make it tough to break into the segment, IMHO.

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by 4.0i_SiX

Thats the US, Australians like big powerful RWD cars. Obviously we have our influx of rice boys who like the 4 banger FWD's but we cant help everyone

Well, you know roughly 6/7 new cars sold in January weren't big powerful RWD Aussie cars ;)

[Abacus]

I know the original Avalon was a middle aged US design before it got here, but IMO, the main it failed was the stupid Les Paterson based advertising campaign.....not exactly the profile potential Avalon buyers would want to identify with. The Camry chook would have been better.

Wonder what they'll do this time.

[SSBUB]

ah yes, whatever happened to that lovable bird? Wonder if they will bring back the ninja camels for the new rav4?

[biomechanic]

TOYOTA hopes to erase the memory of its dowdy Avalon large family car when it unveils its locally built replacement — the Aurion — at the Melbourne motor show today.

The name comes from the ancient Greek word for "tomorrow", while having overtones of "Australia" and "Aurora" (Latin for "dawn").

Pronounced Or-eee-on, the name and the car were extensively market researched, according to Toyota Australia chief designer Paul Beranger.

The V6 car — due to go on sale towards the end of the year — shares much with Toyota's forthcoming all-new four-cylinder 2006 Camry. It is built on the same front-wheel-drive platform with an identical footprint, has Camry doors and cabin architecture, and will be built on the same production line.

Where the Aurion departs is its front and rear sheet metal, light clusters, bumpers and a made-in-Japan 3.5-litre V6 engine. Its interior will differ from the Camry, Mr Beranger says. There will also be a dressed-up Sportivo version. A supercharged V6 performance version is earmarked for 2007.

[ClevlndStemer]

IMO already looks dated compared to what is coming out in the next 6 months to a year. The VE commo looks stunning even in cammo and the next falcon if it does share any of the iosis dna will make the new avalon (or whatever it is called) look really old and dated.

[2fishingdogs]

It looks like the new mazda MPS its a turboed 6 AWD, A ford car

[parawolf]

Looks like a large Honda Legend....

[2fishingdogs]

just reading the Aurion site and most of the Tech advancments are already in the falcon?

[Fairlane]

Just watched the webcast, personally i reckon it looks good. Will i replace my Avalon with one? probably not

Unless they make an AWD variant or this supercharged model is the greatest thing ever seen, i will probably buy a Xr6 Turbo.

One thing is pretty certain, this thing will probably kill the mitsu 380.

[daturtle]

personally, i think it looks like an oversized corolla with a kia rio mashed into the design...not too flash. 380 would b my pick

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by ClevlndStemer

IMO already looks dated compared to what is coming out in the next 6 months to a year. The VE commo looks stunning even in cammo and the next falcon if it does share any of the iosis dna will make the new avalon (or whatever it is called) look really old and dated.

Errrrr, guess you didnt see the 200kw Sportivo then

[blutura]

looks great.

i'm guessing those blacked out lights won't pass ADRs though.

also, Toyota needs to sack whoever is in charge of choosing alloy wheels. very dull choice.

oh, and one more thing Toyota; drop the Sportivo brand, no-one thinks its cool.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Errrrr, guess you didnt see the 200kw Sportivo then

OMG, 200kw? How can they produce so much power! :alien2:

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by blutura

oh, and one more thing Toyota; drop the Sportivo brand, no-one thinks its cool.

Mitsubishi has the VR-X, Holden the Sv/SS, Ford the XRs. I agree, time for toyota to pick a few letters rather than Sportivo. I'd rather they use Levin or Touring than Sportivo

[ClevlndStemer]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Errrrr, guess you didnt see the 200kw Sportivo then

yes i did. it may look all special there but realistically how much of that will hit the production line? I stick by my comment. While it will do better than the old avalon it is IMO a tarted up Camry with a V6 and some cosmetic changes.

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by ClevlndStemer

yes i did. it may look all special there but realistically how much of that will hit the production line?

Most of it, its the production model apparently.

[4Vman]

Sorry but if its FWD it wont be seen by most people as a direct or serious competitor to the Falcon or Commodore...

[outback_ute]

The sportivo car there would be a clay model hence no lights or windows. I think it looks fairly good, certainly it is very modern and not ugly - the Mitsi 380 is not everyone's cup of tea whereas this car won't turn people off with its looks. Toyota don't need it to blow people's socks off. It is disappointing to hear it is no bigger in the body/cabin than the Camry, that surely is a limitation.

[Casper]

All I see is the end of Mitsubishi production in Aust.

Sorry guys, the big 3 just went from Falcon/Commo/Magna to Falcon/Commo/Aurion.

Mitsu's 380 is toast, it will be deader then a dodo within 2 years I think.

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

OMG, 200kw? How can they produce so much power! :alien2:

haha, yeah I know, took years for ford and holden to get their 5.0L v8s past that figure :

200kw front wheel driver is something to crow about, likewise, there are plenty of examples where less is more and more is less with kw outputs. I'm not saying the sportivo is going to rip appart an xr6t - the front hoops will really struggle with the power as it is.

The block their using is the same as that used in the is350 in america which will pull a 0-100 in 5.3 (although it is a rwd). Im trying to confirm what, if any differences there are between the Lexus donk and the Aurion donk.

The 3.5L supercharged version may be interesting too, that might be putting out closer to the i6t.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

.....

I knew Toyota would turn out something special have head-hunted the Barra designer, what's his name again?

[Raptor]

I remember now, Nick Hogios.

[T_Terror]

So whats the big revolution in AUssie 6s?

I dont get it

[Bossxr8]

All it is is basically a Camry V6, but they made it look a bit different. At least the Avalon was bigger than the Camry. Nothing revolutionary at all.

[Des]

The front 3/4 shot reminds me of the Stavic, not a flattering statement. Once again Toyota has proven itself to me as the "Grey" car company. Middle of the road, politically correct and boring as bat-ИИИИ. If you met someone who admitted to waking up in the middle of the night calling out "Aurion", you'd promptly slap 'em senseless. Toyota need to take a leave out of Mazda's book and design some passion into their passenger cars, while manitaining great build quality. Their truck/suv designs generally aren't bad (even if some are dramatically under tyred). The rest is either too (Japan market focused) quirky or (mostly) just plain boring.
New Aurion, yawn, wake me when something with good design, not just good engineering, comes along.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Des

The front 3/4 shot reminds me of the Stavic, not a flattering statement.

Your kidding right? I dont see any stavic in there and I know exactly what the stavic looks like.. I'm about to buy one this year!

How did you get this:

From this:


:

[ClevlndStemer]

i see more BA in it

[Des]

Originally Posted by Casper

Your kidding right? I dont see any stavic in there and I know exactly what the stavic looks like.. I'm about to buy one this year!

:

The shot I'm talking about is in post 36. Makes the nose look huge and ungainly. Given, this probably reflects the photo more not the flesh.