2013 Toyota Avalon: The Basics
Some key brand attributes of the previous Toyota Avalon should transcend age barriers. These include comfort, refinement, reliability, safety and value. It was important for engineers to keep these benefits intact while also focusing on exterior and interior styling, advanced technologies, performance and fuel-economy. These latter changes, Toyota believes, will appeal to younger buyers who see this vehicle as a better reflection of themselves. And by younger buyers, let’s be clear that not every vehicle has to appeal to the 25-35 year-old crowd. Toyota and Scion have other offerings targeted toward the young set. However, a 10 year younger median buyer would be a big win for this new design, according to Toyota marketers.
To accomplish this goal, Toyota tried something new. This is the first Toyota-branded vehicle designed, engineered and built by Americans specifically with the needs of the North-American market in mind. Kevin Hunter and his California-based CALTY design studio came up with the striking new design. In a first for Toyota, the Chief Engineer on the project was another American, Randy Stephens, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Avalon will be built in Kentucky for the U.S. and exported to Canada and a handful of international destinations.
For the first time, Toyota also expanded the Avalon model lineup to include a fuel-sipping hybrid-electric using Toyota’s now-familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive system.