Toyota was quick to point out that no accidents or injuries have been reported related to these two issues.
Read more »
In 1992, the Carina E mid-size sedan was the first Toyota to roll off the assembly line at the company's then newly opened Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.
Read more »
Video footage caught from a following vehicle shows a silver Toyota Land Cruiser SUV and a Toyota Avensis sedan trying to squeeze into a single lane with neither driver doing the sensible thing by cutting back and letting the other one enter.
Read more »
With the current fuel prices making stopping at a gas station almost as…cheerful as a visit to the dentist, it helps if your everyday means of transportation nips rather than guzzles fuel.
UK Banzai Magazine editor Joe Clifford and journalist Andrew Biddle took a Toyota Avensis Tourer powered by a 2.0-liter D4-D diesel engine linked to a six-speed manual transmission and traveled from one end of Britain to the other.
Read more »
The refreshed mid-size model that is available in two body styles, sedan and station wagon, will begin reaching European showrooms in the beginning of next year, but Toyota's UK arm has already announced pricing details.
Read more »
A UK motorcyclist's simple gesture of stopping between a Ford Ka and a Toyota Avensis estate to open the latter's closed passenger-side mirror while giving a thumbs up to the driver after his deed, has garnered more than 60,000 views on Youtube in less than 24 hours after it was uploaded.
You can watch it for yourself right after the break.
Read more »
While overall dimensions remain the same as the previous model, the mid-size sedan and the estate (Tourer) version benefit from a fresh face with a redesigned grille that has a chrome upper “lip” and new, narrower headlights that incorporate daytime running lights. At the rear, both body styles gain redesigned tail lamps.
Now, only a week before the grand opening of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota has released the first official picture of its updated mid-size model.
Read more »
Even though Toyota's proposal in Europe's highly-competitive mid-size segment has only been in the market for less than three years, the Japanese carmaker has apparently decided to give the Avensis a mid-life facelift to help bolster its position in market.
Read more »
The Avensis race cars will be driven by Frank Wrathall Jr. and Tony Hughes. “The Toyota looks amazing and we are all delighted with it," said Wrathall. "Yes, it is frustrating not to have done more testing, but the first few rounds were always going to be tough for us, so we will just get on with it and do the best, most competitive job that we can."
Read more »
-AYGO (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)
-iQ (Nov 2008 – Nov 2009)
-Yaris (Nov 2005 – Sep 2009)
-Auris (Oct 2006 – 5 Jan 2010)
-Corolla (Oct 2006 – Dec 2009)
-Verso (Feb 2009 – 5 Jan 2010)
-Avensis (Nov 2008 – Dec 2009)
-RAV4 (Nov 2005 – Nov 2009)
The company said that precise number of involved units is still under investigation, but may reach up to a total of 1.8 million vehicles in the Old Continent, adding that no Lexus or other Toyota models are affected by the recall to solve a potential accelerator pedal issue.
"Toyota's policy is to put its customers first, in all circumstances", said Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe.
"We understand that the current situation is creating concerns, and we deeply regret it. We would also like to reassure customers: the potential accelerator pedal issue only occurs in very rare circumstances. The announced action is a preventive measure aimed to guarantee the highest safety standards to all customers."
According to Toyota, there is a chance that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms on the affected models may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position
Toyota said that the issue is caused because the accelerator pedal mechanisms concerned may become worn.
The Japanese automaker added that only a limited number of incidents have been reported in Europe, and that the company is not aware of any accident resulting from this issue.
Earlier this week, Toyota suspended sales of eight vehicles in the U.S. due to the sticky accelerator problem while the firm also added another 1.1 million vehicles to last fall's recall of 4.3 million vehicles in the USA.
Toyota has enhanced its engine line-up for the UK market Avensis with the introduction of two new powertrains, a 1.6-liter gasoline (already offered in other European countries) and the 2.2-liter D-CAT diesel with a 6-speed automatic transmission - the firm's first diesel automatic passenger car. The 1.6-liter Valvematic petrol produces an output of 132 horsepower and is linked to a 6-speed manual gearbox accelerating the Avensis sedan from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 10.4 seconds and the Tourer in 10.6 seconds.
The new entry-level Avensis returns 43.5mpg UK (36.2mpg US or 6.5 lt/100 km) in combined cycle driving, with 152g/km CO2 emissions. Available in T2 and TR grade saloon and tourer models, the Avensis 1.6L is priced from £16,485.
For the first time, Avensis buyers may also opt to combine Toyota's 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine with a new six-speed automatic transmission.
The four-cylinder unit produces 150 HP at 3,600rpm and maximum torque of 340Nm between 2,000 and 2,800rpm, enabling 0 to 62mph acceleration in 9.5 seconds for the sedan and 9.8 seconds for the Tourer while returning 44.1mpg UK (36.7mpg US or 6.4 lt/100km) in combined cycle driving (42.8mpg UK Tourer).
Prices for the Avensis 2.2 D-CAT Auto start from £21,515.
The European organization for the assessment of vehicle safety has published the first results under its updated rating system. Up until now, Euro NCAP made three separate ratings available for each vehicle, but with the new system there's an overall rating for every car covering Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and a new area of assessment, Safety Assist which takes into account systems such as electronic stability control (ESC) and seat belt reminders.Of the six cars tested under the new ratings system, four managed to achieve Euro NCAP's maximum award of five stars: the Mazda 6, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Avensis and Toyota iQ. Citroen's C3 Picasso minivan and the Subaru Impreza were both awarded four stars.
According to Euro NCAP, with the exception of the Subaru Impreza, all the other cars failed to impress on pedestrian protection.
After the announcement of the results, Mitsubishi and Subaru both said that they would change their ESC (electronic stability control) fitment policies for the Lancer and Impreza, as variants of these models without optional ESC were offered in some Euroepan countries.
Euro NCAP's new rating scheme requires all safety equipment, including ESC, to be standard on 85% of volume sales and at least optionally available on every variant.
Today, two Avensis models rolled off the line at Toyota's Burnaston Plant in Derbyshire, U.K., marking the official start of production of the firm's new European flagship model. The Burnaston Plant will produce the Avensis in body types, sedan and wagon, to support an annual European sales target of 115,000 vehicles. Designed, engineered and built in Europe, the all-new Avensis will also be launched in Africa, Central & South America, as well as in Oceania. Sales of both body types of the Avensis begin across Europe from January 2009.
The mid-size model's 1.6- and 1.8-liter petrol engines will be produced by Toyota's U.K. plant in Deeside, North Wales, while the 2.0-liter Valvematic will be built in Japan. The Japanese firm's plants in Poland (TMIP and TMMP) will manufacture the 2.0- and 2.2-litre D-4D diesel engines and the new 6-speed automatic transmission
Speaking ahead of today's celebrations, Tadashi Arashima, CEO and President of Toyota Motor Europe, said: "The UK has proved to be a valuable economic and business partner. Building on more than 15 years of production history, TMUK's team members continue to deliver the quality, efficiency and flexibility needed to meet the exacting standards of our customers in Europe and around the world."
A couple of weeks ago Toyota took the wraps off its European flagship model, the third generation Avensis at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Now we bring you the first video of the Japanese automaker's new Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia rival that will be available in two body shapes, a sedan and a wagon. The new Avensis goes on sale in January, with an annual European sales target including Russia, of about 115,000 units. Click through for the video. -Continued Related Story: 2009 Toyota Avensis High-Resolution Gallery and Details