British-built Toyota Avensis to star at Madrid show

Toyota brings some welcome positive news for the UK’s car manufacturing industry with the unveiling today of its new, British-built 2007 Avensis range at the Madrid Motor Show.

The new Avensis has fresh styling inside and out, increasing its dynamic and premium quality appeal. For the UK market, it also benefits from two new engines from Toyota’s latest generation of clean, efficient and refined D-4D common rail diesel units.

They are the 175hp D-4D 180, which exclusively powers a new flagship Avensis T180 model, and the D-4D 130, a more powerful replacement for the previous 2.0-litre D-4D engine, with additional gains in fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions.

The new Avensis also delivers improved handling and ride, thanks to a series of detail revisions in the steering and suspension systems. The full range of saloon, hatchback and Tourer models will go on sale in the UK on 1 July. Pricing and specifications will be announced nearer that date.

Worldwide production of the Avensis, Toyota’s flagship model in Europe, remains at Toyota’s Burnaston factory, near Derby. One of Europe’s most efficient car plants, Burnaston built 156,000 Avensis models last year, plus 108,000 Corolla hatchbacks. Thanks to an additional £50 million investment in new equipment, production capacity has been increased by 285,000 vehicles a year.