2006 Toyota Aurion Sport Concept

Despite previously failed attempts, Toyota is once again trying to grab a corner on the Australian car market with the introduction of the Toyota Aurion Sport Concept. Designed to replace the Avalon, the front wheel drive version of Toyota’s face-lifted Camry with an extra cosmetic enhancement to the back end is expected to do well in Australia, about as well as they had anticipated the failed attempt to introduce an Australian version of the Avalon.

The Toyota Aurion Sport Concept leads its class in, at the very least, under the hood engine performance. Sporting a new 3.5 liter V6 engine it still maintains better gas mileage than Australia’s two largest competitors, the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon. At the 2006 Melbourne Motor Show, the Aurion was revealed for the first time to the public, with mixed reception. Some felt that the obvious relation to the Camry was a poor design make over while others saw innovation in the restructured design.

Toyota has received negative attention in the past, having a strong but “uninspiring” reputation. While they are able to produce the sensible family cars for their American supporters, they have yet to come up with a knock your socks off design that brings a new brand of enthusiasts to the table.

Toyota claims to have designed the Aurion to adhere to the aesthetic pleasures of the Australians, but as of yet the Aurion has yet to produce the pull the manufacturer was hoping for. Toyota plans to release another, more aggressive design in early 2007 to compliment the Aurion, and feels that either of these cars would be appropriate for the Australian market.

The sleek, European design for the exterior of the Aurion is trimmed with chrome and hoping to be dignified enough to catch on quickly. A reasonably attractive vehicle, some of the basic modeling was taken from the sixth edition of the Camry and the restyled to make manufacturing easier. This concept may very well work against Toyota’s goal of converting Australian’s to Toyota drivers.

The interior of the Aurion very closely resembles that of the Camry, with only a few small upgraded features which distinguish the two from each other. The Aurion is known to have more wood interior trim, a mildly modified dashboard control layout, a variation in the steering wheel design, a foot operated parking brake, and slightly more unique driving gauges. These differences are certainly not enough to set the Aurion apart from the Camry, but it is already common knowledge that the two cars a re specifically quite similar. The upgraded version comes with leather seats, a standard moon roof, and a standard on board navigation system.

The Toyota Camry and the Toyota Aurion share a great deal of the under body work and even the engine and configurations. Just like the Camry, the front engine, front wheeled drive Aurion is bound to fall to the wayside of the rear wheel drive loving Australians. A variety of engine parts and underpinnings of the 6th generation Camry are actually interchangeable with the Aurion.

The Sports Concept version of the Aurion has a few additional modifications to attempt to stand farther apart from the pack, and is destined to be publicly available in February or March of 2007, but hasn’t shown too much promise of being its own unique version of Toyota quality. Ranging between 40,000 and 50,000 Australian dollars, very few integrations are available, and critics are not enthusiastic that the Sports Concept model will prevail. The slightly bolder exterior looks nearly identical to the Aurion and the Aurion looks nearly identical to the Camry. Thus the range of differentiation to the Sport Concept truly is marginal from the Toyota Camry. The supercharged engine will likely set it apart, as the original engine available in the Aurion is already ahead of its class in torque and power. There will be an upgraded suspension and larger tires for the Sports Concept over the Aurion, but it is suspected that there will be no significant difference in the drive train system. The greatest differentiating quality from the Camry is already shared with the Aurion, the six speed sequential shift automatic transmission. There is no manual option for either car.

The variation in the body kit, the molded exhaust, and the twenty inch alloy wheels will hopefully pull Toyota from its Australian slump. Front and rear air diffusers and highlighting the bumpers in black in an effort to accentuate the redesigned grill were some “last minute” design changes in an attempt to sway public opinion.

Regardless of the poorly received reviews and the criticized recognition, the Aurion received the Best Large Car award from two separate events, the Drive Car of the Year Awards and the Australian Best Car Awards.

Toyota’s determination to conquer the Australian market is really quite remarkable. The Aurion or perhaps even more likely the Aurion Sport Concept may have what it takes to reach Australian’s and grab their attention and their tastes. These cars have been designed around Australian trends, research, and the basic desires of the Australian driver.

While Toyota has had significant struggles in the past with the Australian market, the company’s tenacity may very well pay off, and it may pay off very soon. The unveiling of these two cars led to mixed reviews, which is a big improvement over the negative reviews their unveilings have received thus far.

The Aurion and the Aurion Sport concept is earmarked to produce much better results in the Asian markets, and some critics even recommend the American market over the Australians, but Toyota remains steadfast in their determination to conquer the Australian market. There are even very faint whispers of the next design bound to hit Australia in the next eighteen months once the demographic reports can help determine the pending success or failure of the Aurion and the Aurion Sport Concept. Of course, the Toyota market may need to go a bit farther than overhauling an existing car.







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© 2007 Kiersten Stetser and Karl C for www.sport-cars.org