Last Update on : February 29, 2008
Toyota changes tack with TRD performance range
 Toyota has dropped its policy of selling its TRD Aurion through a selected group of dealers after initial sales have fallen short of expectations.
The company initially limited the number of TRD dealerships for 41 outlets to follow the Holden/HSV and Ford/FPV model of exclusivity.
But those dealers have managed just 110 retail sales in the first six months, which included a stop-sale period after an engine failure in one of the first vehicles. The company recently offered a special finance deal on the TRD AUrion in an attempt to stimulate sales.
Toyota sales and marketing boss David Buttner told media at the 2008 Melbourne Motor Show that the move to widen the distribution network would not harm the brand.
"We believe this approach will allow us to tap into our mass marketing media campaigns while still maintaining our original objectives for the brand," he says.
The company is carrying out an extensive training campaign to ensure that specialist TRD technicians were available at every dealership.
Buttner says the company won't be trying to push Aurion sales.
"We haven't ramped up production and we haven't increased our sales targets," he says.
He says the arrival of the TRD HiLux, which goes on sale in April, will also help to establish the TRD name in Australia.
Buttner says the local TRD model, which is a global first for Toyota, is recognition of the need for the car company to add a level of excitement that is missing from the brand.
"Part of the reason TRD is here is that we couldn't see anything in the model pipeline to replace things like Celica, MR2 and Supra," he says.
But he says that Toyota has recognised the need for a sports car to attract younger buyers. The current average age of a Toyota buyer worldwide is 54.
"I think you'll see something in the next two or three years," he says.
In the meantime, the gap between what Toyota promises and what it delivers to sports car fans continues to widen, with the display of a hybrid-powered sports car at the Melbourne show.
The FT-HS, which stands for Future Toyota Hybrid Sports, was unveiled at last year's Detroit Motor Show and is Toyota's interpretation of the environmentally conscious sports car of the future.
Toyota calls it a "Prius on steroids" and claims the front-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe will sprint from rest to 100kmh in the mid four-second range.
It is powered by a hybrid engine based on the 3.5-litre V6 currently used in the Aurion, Kluger RAV4 and Tarago. An electric motor takes the combined power output of the engine from 200kW to 300kW.
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