History of development
On 9 February 2006, Toyota Australia unveiled the Aurion alongside the Aurion Sportivo concept at the Melbourne International Motor Show at an official press conference.[10] Toyota dropped the Avalon tag for their new large car, as it had gained a reputation to be an uninspiring car, both in the flesh and to drive. Toyota made use of the "Aurion" name to give the car a fresh start.[11] Aurion means "tomorrow" in Ancient Greek, and Aurora translates to "the dawn" in Latin. The name was chosen after consumer research on more than 30 potential names.[12] This gives implications of a completely new car[11] and ties in with Toyota's advertising slogan, "Can't wait for tomorrow".[13] Before commencing production of the Aurion, Toyota Australia manufactured the full-size Avalon model at its Altona plant in Melbourne until June 2005.[14] Production of the Avalon had begun in 2000, taking much of its basic design and mechanical features from the then six-year-old Avalon model sold in North America.[15] The Avalon was offered as a larger, more upmarket car than the Toyota Camry, which it was built alongside.[16] The original sales predictions were not met, with the Avalon failing to challenge rivals such as the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon. The reasoning behind this has been widely attributed to the Avalon's older design and styling,[17] which has been widely described as "bland",[18][19] as well as the front-wheel drive configuration and smaller engine displacement.[19] In its best year, the Avalon only managed to reach half of Toyota's projected sales target,[14] with many potential buyers opting for the slightly smaller sized V6 Camry,[18] featuring the same engine as the Avalon.[20]
Toyota, discovering that the Australian public wanted something that was modern and designed with consideration to the Australian market, began full-scale planning work on its Avalon replacement in 2002. Toyota Australia realised that no other model being developed at the time for Japan or North America was going to be suitable, and due to the size limitations of the Australian market, a completely indigenous model was unrealisable. However, at that time, Toyota Australia did not have any designers of its own. As a result, the company recruited Paul Beranger in August 2002 to set up Toyota Style Australia (TSA) in an industrial complex located in Dingley Village, Victoria. TSA first developed the X-Runner and Sportivo Coupe concepts, and in 2003, Nick Hogios, who had previously worked for Ford Australia on designing the XR performance models of the BA Falcon, was appointed chief designer.[21][22] TSA's next venture was more significant—a privately developed model based on the Camry XV30—a car that signalled the beginning of the Aurion programme. Codenamed "380L" and developed during the course of 2003, this one-off model was forged by stripping panels and interior components from the donor Camry, and substituting these for TSA-developed versions. Total cost was approximately A$1 million. Focus groups conducted by Toyota in early 2003 had ranked the Avalon at the bottom of the list when compared to the competing Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Mitsubishi Magna
During the 380L development, TSA had regular discussions with Toyota Japan on how its Avalon replacement would eventually turn out. Because TSA were an unknown quantity, having never designed a production vehicle, it took the division some time to convince Japan that they could indeed design a car themselves.[14] When the 380L was consigned to a presentation with Japanese Toyota officials, TSA's lead designer Nick Hogios was requested to tender a proposal for the next-generation "042L" Camry design competition. While his submission was not chosen, Hogios was summoned to work on what would become the Aurion, then exclusively referred to as the "Asian" or "prestige" Camry, and codenamed "043L".[21][23][24] Due to the success of TSA's earlier concepts and the 380L,[14] Toyota Australia was given the authorisation to manufacture both the regular 042L and 043L Camrys and sell them side by side. In Australia, however, the regular Camry was to be limited to the four-cylinder engine, and the prestige Camry (later to become the Aurion) to the six. Hogios worked in Japan for nine months during 2004 designing the prestige Camry, and his final design was a collaborative effort between Japanese and Taiwanese designers, but the car's front-end styling is largely Hogios's own work.
Design
Aurion takes its doors, windows, roof panels, body sides (except front quarters) from the Camry XV40. However, the other panels are unique from the regular Camry.[26] This component sharing also means that Aurion has the same wheelbase, front and rear axle tracks, and interior dimensions. Interior design also largely parallels the Camry. Notable differences include the redesigned upper dashboard portion and restyled centre console, plus the substitution of the Australian Camry's hand-operated parking brake with a foot-operated equivalent (as shared with the Camry for Japan and North America).[27][28] The reasoning behind this component sharing strategy was to reduce costs and to allow the car to be built alongside the Camry, thus simplifying the manufacturing process.[29]
Toyota claims that the Aurion is designed to Australian tastes, although it has been designed with markets such as Asia in mind. Hogios states that the Aurion follows the traits of current Australian styling, with a tendency to look towards European designs for inspiration.
