Quick Turnaround For 'invisible' Avalon
The Age
Thursday May 25, 2000
Toyota may replace its new Avalon family car earlier than planned after its styling reportedly received a lukewarm reception from prospective buyers.
To spice up the Australian car, Toyota will launch a limited edition model complete with a subtle body kit and larger alloy wheels.
Industry sources suggest that Toyota management are disappointed with the poor response the car received at its first public showing at the motor show in Melbourne in March. Prospective buyers were said to be unimpressed by its ultra-conservative looks.
The Avalon, which goes on sale in July, was expected to be replaced late in 2005 or 2006, but the replacement model may now be seen up to 18 months ahead of the original launch schedule, pushing the new car's entry to late 2004.
However, a spokesman for Toyota Australia said: "The plan is to run the Avalon for five years and there is no change to that. We have to spread the cost of developing and building it over that time."
The Avalon's styling has always been an issue, with the car's looks being questioned when it appeared in the US way back in November 1994.
A road test in the Chicago Tribune of October 23, 1994, said: "But Avalon has some warts, the main one being the styling. Stand out in a crowd? Avalon is invisible. Imagination took a holiday."
The limited edition Avalon will initially have a build run of 250 and feature a front spoiler, side skirts and rear lip spoiler as well as a new grille and 16-inch alloys, rather than the standard car's 15-inch wheels.
Toyota New Zealand is considering making the body kit standard on two of the three Avalon models it will sell there.
In the US, the original and close to six-year-old Avalon has been replaced by a new-look, second-generation machine.
This second-generation Avalon features more contemporary, sharper-edged styling rather than the soft and rounded look of "our" car.
This new-look Avalon will be the basis for the next Aussie Avalon.
Moving the launch date of the new car would also help Toyota get in ahead of the new generation of family cars, with Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden planning to have a new-generation Magna, Falcon and Commodore on sale during 2005. Both the Ford and Holden will feature all-new V6 engines.
If Toyota left its launch to 2006, the Avalon body would be close to 11 years old while its competitors would be selling brand-new machines.
To keep the front-drive car feeling up-to-date, Toyota Australia has worked hard to improve the car's dynamics and has retuned the Camry 3.0-litre V6 to deliver a fraction more power and torque.
© 2000 The Age
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