Toyota goes White with Aurion

TOYOTA has released a special edition of its Aurion V6 large car, offering what the company says is $3000 of extra value – for $3500 more than the Aurion Prodigy on which it is based.

The $44,990 Aurion White – all 250 examples in the limited run are painted Crystal Pearl white – comes equipped with an array of extra features including Sportivo body kit, unique five-spoke grey alloy wheels, “leather-accented” interior, a premium three-spoke steering wheel, electric moonroof, carbon-fibre interior trim highlights, multi-function trip computer, dark grey carpets and Aurion-embroidered floor mats.

The standard Prodigy – on the second rung of the Aurion range – has a list price of $41,490, which is $3500 cheaper than the limited-edition Aurion White.

As well, customers pay extra for dealer delivery and government charges on both models.

Toyota Australia manager public relations Mike Breen told GoAuto that the new model had been created to meet demand from customers wanting all these particular features on an Aurion.

“What we did was fitted these parts to the car for an increased price, so whilst there is no saving, it is meeting a demand that we have seen from our customers,” he said.

By comparison, Ford Australia is offering its Falcon XR-6 – which normally retails for $42,990 plus on-roads – for just $34,990 driveaway.

Rival Holden has a special $36,990 driveaway offer on a Holden Berlina that usually sells for $43,490 plus on-roads. In the case of the Berlina, leather seats are standard.

The current Aurion is now in its final year, with a new model due in the first half of 2012.

Aurion sales to the end of March were down 21.7 per cent, to just 2190 units, compared with market leader Commodore’s 10,644 sales (down 6.3 per cent) and Falcon on 4448 sales (down 39.3 per cent.

The Aurion White is powered by the Aurion’s standard 200kW V6 mated with the six-speed automatic transmission.

The body kit includes Sportivo’s front, side and rear skirts, rear lip spoiler, dark-tinted headlamps, clear lens tail-lamps, chrome door handles, dual chrome exhaust diffusers and white Aurion badging.

Inside, the leather-accented seats have embroidered Aurion logos and contrast stitching, while the doors are trimmed in ‘greige’ fabric.

The media release says the Aurion White carries over the standard features of the Aurion Prodigy, including power driver's seat, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, alarm, six-disc CD display audio with USB and AUX input, and dual-zone climate-control.