Toyota to launch four models in 2013

Toyota to launch four models in 2013
By Samuel Ee SINGAPORE - Toyota will greet 2013 with a bang by launching at least four new models in Singapore. Japan's top carmaker unveiled three new models this year through authorised distributor Borneo Motors Singapore - the Prius C hybrid, the new Toyota Camry and the 86 sports coupé. Following them in the new year are a new version of the RAV4 SUV; a model that will debut for the first time here, the Auris 1.6 compact five-door hatchback; a new Yaris 1.3 mini hatch; and a car that is the best-seller in Indonesia, the Toyota Avanza small MPV. The Singapore market is already familiar with Thai imports of the Corolla, Vios and Camry. But this is the first time the company will be introducing a model from Indonesia. Toyota Motors Corp developed the seven-seater Avanza for the Indonesian market in 2003. The version to be imported by Borneo Motors will have a 1.5-litre engine driving the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. Its carbon dioxide emissions will place it in the neutral CEVS band when it arrives in July. A Borneo Motors spokesman said the Avanza was produced initially for the Indonesian market but later exported to Thailand and Malaysia "as its popularity and reputation as the best-selling MPV in Indonesia crossed national borders". "Since then, the Avanza has evolved into a global model meeting the needs of the many value-seeking consumers for a small MPV," he said, adding that as of August 2012, it was the best-selling model in Indonesia. The spokesman said: "With such a positive track record, we strongly believe that it will similarly be well-received in Singapore for customers who want a small MPV." The Auris is another brand-new Toyota model to be introduced here. Sourced from the UK, the compact hatch has a 1.6-litre engine mated to a seven-step CVT. Its CO2 emissions of 134 g/km will net it a $10,000 CEVS rebate when it arrives in April. The other two models are familiar to the Singapore market. The new two-litre RAV4 - due here in February - will be in the neutral CEVS band while the Yaris will have a new engine and a new country of origin. The previous Yaris 1.5 was from Thailand, but the new Yaris 1.3 is from France. Toyota was the No 1 brand here for nine consecutive years before BMW and Mercedes-Benz overtook it in 2011 on the back of skyrocketing COE premiums.