Toyota Launches New 'Ponam-31' Sports Utility Cruiser

Tokyo, Japan, October 10, 2014―Toyota Motor Corporation today launched a new boat, the "Ponam-31"¹, which will go on sale through a network of 49 companies in Japan. Toyota aims to sell 15 units annually, with base prices starting at 29,700,000 yen².

The Ponam-31 belongs to a new class of boat: the sports utility cruiser. It combines performance with comfort, making it ideal for pleasure cruising as well as fishing and marine sports. The Ponam-31 offers dynamic performance and maneuverability, unique and enduring styling, and a user-friendly interior and exterior.

The Ponam-31 is powered by two 3.0-liter inline four-cylinder direct-injection diesel engines derived from the Land Cruiser Prado. Specially tuned for marine applications, the engine combines high power with excellent fuel efficiency, while keeping emissions, noise, and vibration to a minimum. With its rigid aluminum alloy hull (a popular feature across the Ponam range of boats), the Ponam-31 provides excellent durability and cruising comfort. Optional extras include systems adapted from Toyota's automotive technologies, such as Toyota Drive Assist³ and the Toyota Virtual Anchor System⁴. At a highly competitive retail price of 29,700,000 yen², the Ponam-31 represents excellent cost performance.

The engine features an optimized turbocharger, intercooler and fuel injectors. This makes the Ponam-31 powerful yet fuel-efficient, while ensuring that emissions, noise, and vibration are minimized.

The hull is made using high-strength A5083 aluminum alloy, which ensures higher rigidity, strength, durability, and fracture resistance than fiber-reinforced plastic. The aluminum alloy structure also helps to greatly reduce the reverberations and noise generated by wave impacts.

Optional pilot support systems include Toyota Drive Assist³ and the Toyota Virtual Anchor System⁴, automotive-derived technologies that ensure the highest level of control, even during complicated maneuvers.

Reflecting years of experience incorporating complex curved surfaces into vehicle design, the Ponam-31 presents a solid, elegant form. Combining flowing surfaces and dynamic lines, the unique and imposing design of the Ponam-31 makes it immediately recognizable as part of the Ponam series, even when viewed from a distance.

An attractive rear view is created by the expansive eaves that extend outward from the cabin door to provide a high-performance weather shield. The rear deck rail evokes the look of an automotive spoiler.

The Ponam-31 features an open-plan flybridge above the cabin with excellent visibility, as well as spacious forward and aft decks. The cabin is styled in a casual manner with the aim of creating a relaxing and expansive interior space. The layout, with its single central passage, is designed for user-friendliness. Fittings such as a sofa and counter can be laid out in various arrangements to enhance both comfort and convenience.