[GTO]

Mod Note : The Team-BHP Toyota Camry Review has been uploaded at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the review thread.

The Etios Motor Racing Trophy



- Toyota unveiled the Etios Motor Racing Trophy at the Auto Expo 2012. This event will be supported by TRD (Toyota Racing Development)

- Race series to start in 2013. However, there will be a handful of exhibition races held in the current year

- Tracks include the Buddh International Circuit, Chennai & Coimbatore

- This will be a one-make racing championship with 5-6 individual race events. In the first season, the Etios petrol will hit the track (not the Liva). The cars will be FIA qualified with racing parts supplied by TRD

- The championship will have 25 cars, with drivers aged between 16 - 24

- Toyota will also partner and work closely with Indian motorsport experts such as Red Rooster Racing (Bangalore) to better understand the sport

- This will be the 2nd one-make racing series in India, after the VW Polo Cup

Driver Selection

- Applications will go live on www.toyotaetios.in/emr starting January 15, 2012. Online applications will close on February 15, 2012

- Driver camps will be conducted between March and June, 2012 to shortlist the drivers and arrive at the final driver line-up

- The selected applicants will go through simulator evaluation and go-kart selection rounds to begin with, and then graduate to driving the Etios Motor Racing cars along with in-depth lectures as part of the training process. All the training will be conducted by professional drivers and instructors from Toyota and local racing experts. The study material will be a combination of what is used in Japan and what is required by FMSCI to ensure the drivers are trained to international standards

Body kit, rear wing, racing slicks & performance exhaust. The racing slicks alone should make this Etios a couple of seconds faster per lap:


Suspension gets performance springs from TRD:


MRF racing slicks on 17" wheels. The brakes have been upgraded, but they still look as small as stock. Should be only performance brake pads at use:




Notice the dual exhaust arrangement:


Cabin stripped of luxuries; the lighter the better. Momo steering wheel & huge Racepak digital meter:


Recaro seats. Say, what's a handbrake doing in a track racing car?


Race-grade roll cage:


The Liva won't make an appearance in the first season. Uses the lazy 1.2 liter engine, I wish TRD gave it the Etios' 1.5. It's still unclear whether the engines will be performance tuned for the track, or run in stock configuration:




Rear drum brakes:




Merchandise will be sold at the track & at Toyota dealerships:

[GTO]

The 7th generation Toyota Camry makes an appearance at the Auto Expo 2012. The big news is, the Camry will finally be assembled in India and thus, should be priced more realistically (the current Camry's CBU pricing takes it out of contention). Expect ex-showroom to be in the region of a Honda Accord.

Power comes from a new 2.5L 4-banger with 178 BHP on tap. It will be available only with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, there is no talk of a diesel powerplant yet. The 7th gen Camry will be launched around the 3rd quarter of 2012.

The Camry looks very Lexus now:




The front does somewhat resemble the Accord, wot?




The interiors (and back seat) have gotten even more spacious. Notice the dual-zone climate control & engine start / stop button:

[GTO]

Toyota started offering the "Easy Seat" accessory that can be fitted to any Corolla Altis for 30K rupees. The Easy Seat makes ingress / egress easier for the physically disabled, and those suffering from arthritis or other knee related ailments. The accessory allows the passenger seat to swivel around & out:






The facelift Prius Hybrid now gets a solar-powered ventilation system. To put it in simple words, a solar-powered fan recirculates cabin air when the Prius is parked:








The Toyota SUV area:


The Landcruiser 200 gets a new 4.5L turbo diesel and 6-speed automatic transmission. 4-Wheel AHC (Automatic Height Control) is now standard:


The Prado:


Fortuner had people spilling out of it at all times:


A lot of people were playing the game on this touchscreen LCD. You get 2 minutes to accessorize a Toyota from a category (e.g. Adventure) and gain / lose seconds based on the accuracy of your selection. Winners get some goodies. Yep, I did try but ended up with a 75% score only :






Read about the facelift Fortuner here & the Innova here:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Auto Expo 2012 section!

[suhaas307]

I know that it's going to be a one-make racing series, but it would be really interesting to see the hot Liva up against the Polo Cup on the track, don't you think?

It's good to see Toyota proactive in the racing scene. Hopefully, which such moves, the bustling racing-scene in India, back in the '70s and '80s may be revived.

[anekho]

Seeing the Prius makes me happy

Good to know the Camry will be assembled locally (finally!). Great car the Camry is, will probably do very well at around ~19L? Very good looking side profile

Glad Toyota are entering the motorsports scene in India, exciting times ahead!

[himavanth_m]

Where are the solar panels on the Prius? Are they on the roof?
The roof just looks like matt finish and do not seem like like solar panels. But great finish on the roof if the roof has the solar panels

[anekho]

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

Where are the solar panels on the Prius? Are they on the roof?
The roof just looks like matt finish and do not seem like like solar panels. But great finish on the roof if the roof has the solar panels

Yep, they're on the roof. The lighting and angle of these photos give it that matt look. More shiny looking in real life.

Check this video out:

2010 Toyota Prius: Solar Powered Ventilation System - YouTube

[DicKy]

At last my fav FWD family sedan is assembled in India though can't understand why they took off the M/T.
It's not entirely impossible for the Camry to have a diesel heart,they have a family of 2.0-2.2l D-4D engines in the euro spec Avensis(another D segment car), or maybe they are waiting for the engines from BMW.
After a whole decade one move in the correct direction.
EDIT: Looks like th entire Camry generation has abandoned the stick shift.!!! M/T apocalypso now?

[oilmonkey]

TRD is a big name in motorsports , which is exciting to see in India.Does anybody have a Technical Specifications list for the TRD Liva.And does anybody know where can we but the TRD merchandise?

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by GTO

Toyota started offering the "Easy Seat" accessory that can be fitted to any Corolla Altis for 30K rupees. The Easy Seat makes ingress / egress easier for the physically disabled, and those suffering from arthritis or other knee related ailments. The accessory allows the passenger seat to swivel around & out:

That is very good news indeed! Toyota have for long offered such accessories and even special versions called "Wellcab" of saloons, estates, MPVs and even small hatches in the Japanese market. Wonder what stops them from offering something similar on the second row of the Innova?

[dkaile]

If only Toyota had the foresight to bring the Diesel immediately to the Camry they could become segment leaders too. As I said earlier, most manufacturers Market what they Make rather than Make what they can Market...

[nitinbose]

I'm in love with the Camry! Is it launched to the public as yet? What are the advancements made to the LC Prado & 200?

[wheeler]

The exterior of the Indian Camry seems to be different from the new 2012 Camry released here in the Gulf.



And if I'm paying 25 lakh rupees for the car, I'd prefer my interior like this.



Pictures sourced from www.toyotauae.com

[drmohitg]

Excellent idea and Kudos to Toyota for coming with the "easy seat". This is such a blessing for old people. Is this limited to only the front passenger seat or even the back seats?