So...the TRD Aurion

[oldcorollas]

this in FWD???? (i thought it was a commondore at first)


or.. this in RWD/AWD


or this in RWD/AWD


then again... what Lexii are in Aus right now?

[Andrew Bolt]

but could/would they do that? would Gov.co try and dissuade them in the name of "protecting local (foreign owned) business"??but is that what bogans really want?

No, no and no. I was really just sighing out aloud.

MarkX would be the goods.

[oldcorollas]

3.6 million yen.... 3L, RWD only...300G premium....



4,3L RWD, 6.1million yen



right.... Lexus GS is 100K+.....LS is 180K+... slightly different market aspirations to ford and holden i guess...

[TJ]

End of the day Toyota Aus could retool the JZX100 series, which looks kinda like an Aurion anyhow, and sell shitloads. RWD, handles, looks great.

[Nero]

They would sell less...export countries which account for more than 50% of market do not want an old, heavier car with poorer NVH etc etc.

[oldcorollas]

End of the day Toyota Aus could retool the JZX100 series, which looks kinda like an Aurion anyhow, and sell shitloads. RWD, handles, looks great.

well the mark X is the successor to the JZX markII/chaser platform

but if they got say... a 3 or 3.5L JZ-X/GR-X into aus (from 3.6milyen) to be around $50K.... would people still complain they can get a bigger motor for less money from falcadore?

and how soon until an LSx kit becomes available :D

[TonyJZX]

i think the aurion looks better than those cars

i know comparing the jzx100 to the aurion is a moot excise but I'm guessing they pretty much match each other for NVH given the Aurion is not even a convincing victor over other cars in its own class

and the jzx100 weighs about 1,450kg... with driveshaft and turbos... no-one can convince me the aurion is some kind of cleansheet revolutionary 2007 design... because it's not

[Nero]

since we have not driven both we cannot compare can we?
But there is good reason why they chose the Aurion and not the MkX and it will be to do with sales...

[TJ]

As soon as I can get my hands on a Aurion TRD ill give you a comparison A 100 is one of the nicest factory standard Japanese cars I've ever driven, in terms of NVH. power delivery, handling, and fun factor.

[Captiva Fan]

But there is good reason why they chose the Aurion and not the MkX and it will be to do with sales...

Well, revenue due to sales maybe.
RWD cars cost too much to make, compare JDM prices for a Mark X versus a Camry to geta handle on what it'd cost. I'm not in a position to do so now, but if a TRD Camry is~$60k, I'd bet the Mark X everyone's pulling themselves over would be more than basic HSV money ... making it a Lexus.

[Captain_Slow]

End of the day Toyota Aus could retool the JZX100 series, which looks kinda like an Aurion anyhow, and sell shitloads. RWD, handles, looks great.

What for? Aurion seems to have been a big winner for Toyota, as it can now sell two cars that are pretty well the same apart from the drivetrain but give the appearance of having a medium and a large car on the market. The strategy has clearly worked on a simple comparison of Camry sales 18 months ago compared to combined Camry/Aurion sales today.

Apart from pleasing a few enthusiasts, there's no good reason for Toyota to want to change any of that by building some sort of RWD car instead.

[Nero]

Australia is too small a market for the production line rejigging required for the RWD stuff. The other aspect is that the enthusiast driver is less than 10% of the market and the enthusiast driver who buys a new car is even a smaller part of the market!
The other often unsaid thing is that point to point across country, lets say the best 300km drive you can think of at 90% of a cars capability (I doubt you can do better on a public road) there is little difference between FWD/RWD.

[GTSBoy]

C'mon Neil, even roundabouts suck in an overpowered FWD traction and stability controlled car, let alone real roads.

[oldcorollas]

only if you can't drive

what can you legally do around a roundabout in a RWD that you can't in a FWD?

of course you can get all tail happy in a RWD, BUT, do car makers want to be known as building P-plater deathtraps?

[GTSBoy]

The only safe thing to do in a FWD that has lost traction is back off.