Toyota Launches Auris Compact in Japan

Tokyo―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today the Japanese launch of the Auris^*1, a strategic compact passenger vehicle for both Japan and Europe. In Japan, the Auris is available through "Netz" dealers nationwide; its European release is scheduled for the spring of 2007.

Created with "performance you can feel" as its development concept, the Auris is designed to transcend the conventional notion of a compact vehicle, with individuality and exceptional performance that convey its appeal the moment you see it, as well as when you get in and drive it.

Under the notion of "a five-meter impression"―with sights set on creating a positive impression even before the car is driven more than five meters―the Auris strives for a sense of expectation from the moment the key is in your hand. It does this with attractive European styling on the outside, innovation and quality that can be immediately sensed on the inside―thanks to a center instrument cluster integrated with a bridged center console―and driving pleasure that can be felt as soon as the engine is started and the car begins to move.

A newly developed platform, new 1.8-liter engine and newly designed suspension provide outstanding vehicle performance and engaging driving pleasure, while also achieving balance between excellent maneuverability and a spacious, highly functional interior that rivals that of a medium-class vehicle. The Auris also boasts safety and environmental performance at the top levels of its class^*2.

Japanese Market Sales Outline

Assembly Plant for Japanese-market Vehicles

Iwate Plant, Kanto Auto Works, Ltd.

Vehicle Outline

Distinctive, European-Style Exterior and Innovative, Highly Functional Interior

Exterior

• Created by ED² (Toyota Europe Design Development S.A.R.L.), Toyota's European design base located in southern France, and based on the Toyota-brand design philosophy of "Vibrant Clarity," the exterior of the new Auris boasts an individualistic short and wide form that is recognizable at a glance, even from a distance.
• Combined with headlights extending to the sides, the vehicle's front end has an impressive, unified form that integrates the bumper with the hood to create a front view with a sporty and open feel.
• The side view, with a low, forward-leaning beltline and sloped quarter pillars, evokes an energetic feeling that expresses the vehicle's powerful driving performance.
• When viewed from behind, the car's staunch rear creates an impression of action.

Interior

• An advanced image is conveyed through an innovative design that integrates the shape from the center instrument cluster to the bridged center console, using the European architectural form of a "flying buttress"^* as a motif.
• The high position of the gear-shift lever and parking break and a comfortable, close-fitting cockpit create a sporty feel.
• The main controls, including the gear-shift lever, have been concentrated within easier reach of the driver's seat to enhance operability and functionality.
• Close attention has been paid to every detail to create a sense of quality from the substantial sound of doors closing to the smooth operational feel of the audio-system and other switches.

  ^* A gothic architectural technique that uses arched supports located outside a structure to hold up the roof, thereby creating a more open interior space

Outstanding Driving Performance and a Comfortable Ride Refined in Europe

• A newly developed platform and newly designed suspension achieve outstanding handling and stability as well as a smooth, comfortable ride. The suspension has been tested on roads and circuit courses in Europe to achieve optimal tuning for exceptional performance under various conditions, from high-speed driving on winding roads to highway cruising.
• High-rigidity body construction ensures steering responsiveness and quiet operation.
• A 1.8-liter Dual VVT-i (Dual Variable Valve Timing-intelligent) engine that provides excellent acceleration performance, high fuel efficiency and outstanding environmental performance, and a 1.5-liter VVT-i engine that boasts excellent performance and high fuel efficiency are available.
• The Super CVT-i (Super Continuously Variable Transmission-intelligent) supports outstanding fuel efficiency and smooth driving. An easy-to-operate seven-speed Sports Sequential Shiftmatic transmission that provides the feel of a manual transmission and takes "fun to drive" to a higher level is available on models with the 1.8-liter engine.
• The four-wheel disk brakes, standard on all vehicles in the series, provide excellent braking performance and feature superior control with a high-quality braking feeling.

Spacious and Highly Functional Interior and Superb Maneuverability

• An excellent package created through the adoption of a newly developed platform allows for a spacious cabin on par with that of a medium-class vehicle and relaxing flat-surfaced legroom in the rear (on two-wheel-drive models), as well as a roomy rear cargo space, while also achieving superb maneuverability. Stow spaces abound.
• The rear seats, equipped with a reclining function, have backrests that fold in a 60/40 split and a single-motion tilt-down mechanism that allows both the seat cushions and the backrests to easily fold and stow away, creating an expansive and flat cargo space.
• The Smart Entry & Start System employs a key that does not need to be pulled out to lock and unlock the doors, as well as a push button for starting the engine.
• An automatic air-conditioner with a pollen-removal mode filters out pollen, dust and other impurities from the air. An additional air conditioning vent is incorporated at the top of the center instrument cluster to enhance comfort throughout the vehicle.

Safety and Environmental Performance at the Top of its Class

• The GOA (Global Outstanding Assessment) construction has been further evolved to create an advanced collision-safety body structure. During collision tests under stricter-than-normal standards, the speed was set at 55km/h, and the vehicle was subjected to omni-directional, vehicle-to-vehicle collision tests with a vehicle up to the 2-ton range. Through the use of a body that effectively absorbs collision impact by diffusing it throughout its structure, Toyota satisfied all independent targets for survival space and dummy injury.
• The pedestrian-injury-lessening body structure has been evolved to further reduce pedestrian head injuries, pursuing a class-top level of protection.
• The front-seat structures are based on the WIL (Whiplash Injury Lessening) concept and come with stronger seat frames and greater backrest give. They were designed based on analyses using THUMS (Total Human Model for Safety), incorporating a structural design that reduces stress on the neck during low-speed rear impact.
• All vehicles in the series have been certified as having emissions levels 75% lower than the 2005 standards under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Approval System for Low-emission Vehicles. The 180G "S-package" vehicles boast fuel efficiency that is 20 percent greater than the Japanese 2010 fuel efficiency standards^* and all 1.5-liter vehicles and 1.8-liter four-wheel-drive vehicles achieve fuel efficiency that exceeds those standards by 10 percent, thus qualifying for incentives under the Japanese government's Green Taxation System.
• Eco-VAS (Eco-Vehicle Assessment System)―Toyota's original comprehensive environmental impact assessment system―was implemented to achieve the overall reduction of environmental impact throughout the vehicle's entire lifecycle as efficiently as possible. Environmental targets were set in the vehicle development stage and a life cycle assessment was carried out, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and other atmospheric pollutants, not just during the use stage, but also through all stages of the vehicle's life, from manufacture to disposal.
• A review of the materials, processing methods and adhesives used for interior parts resulted in a reduction in the amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) used, thereby also reducing the discomforting odors emitted from such compounds.
• An Eco Drive Indicator lights up when the vehicle is being efficiently operated to raise the driver's awareness of environmentally considerate driving and contribute to higher fuel efficiency.

  ^* Specified by the Japanese Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy