Toyota has unveiled yet another new product - the 2003 Toyota Matrix, which is a combination SUV, car and station wagon.
The Japanese company has been on something of a product tear recently, adding trucks, performance sedans, SUVs, luxury roadsters and what-have-you's to markets it previously didn't compete in, under both the Toyota and upscale Lexus badges.
Toyota Canada hopes the Cambridge, Ontario-built Matrix will catch the attention of younger buyers when Matrix goes on sale in 2002. This is a huge segment that has been actively avoiding Toyota in recent years.
"Blending sports car performance, SUV versatility, and compact affordability in a strikingly original package," says Tony Wearing of Toyota Canada, "Matrix is aimed squarely at the tastes and aspirations of a whole new generation of Toyota buyers."
The group vice-president in charge of vehicle sales and marketing at Toyota Canada says "Matrix takes a powerful leap past anything currently available to young first-time owners and those looking for outstanding design and a high level of performance at a reasonable cost."
Wearing says Toyota set "extremely high goals for this vehicle, aiming for best-in-class standards of power, handling, comfort and value. Buyers no longer have to choose between practicality and fun, or trade performance for versatility, because Matrix has it all in one great package."
The Matrix should compete for buyers who are also considering the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Ford Focus wagon, and the recently unveiled Pontiac Vibe, which is a close sibling of the Matrix to be built on the joint GM/Toyota assembly line in Fremont, California.
Toyota Canada will also expand the assembly facility in Cambridge so that it can continue to build the popular Corolla compact sedan after it's totally redesigned for the 2002 model year. It's probably no surprise, then, that the Matrix will be built on a platform very similar to that of the new Corolla.
As for Matrix's shape, Wearing says it "fuses SUV styling cues such as an aggressive front grille, a rear skid plate and tailgate hatch with bold character lines, 16-inch wheels and an optional ground effects package."
Artists at Toyota's California design studio capitalized on recent advances in metal stamping techniques, Wearing says, and created "edge-web" body panels. "The edge-web detailing integrates sharp surface edges with rounded web-like contours to create strong, flowing character lines."
Matrix will be offered in three trim levels, Wearing explains, in both front- and four-wheel drive configurations, and with a choice of engines and transmissions to provide a "variety of utility and performance"
The standard engine for Matrix is Toyota's 130-horsepower, 4-cylinder with VVTL-i (Toyota's name for variable-valve timing) which will earn California's tough ULEV-rated for fuel economy and emissions.
The Sport version gets ground effects styling, 17-inch wheels and tires, and is equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission combined with the sophisticated 1.8-litre, 180 horsepower VVTL-i high-revving I-4 found in the Celica GT-S.
Wearing says that, whatever the trim level, every Matrix "provides the interior space, headroom and comfort of a 5-passenger vehicle combined with the adaptability and capacity of an SUV. This includes a new sliding track system developed especially for Matrix that maximizes the space and flexibility of the cargo area".
Key dimensions of Matrix include an overall length of 4350 mm, a width of 1765 mm, a height of 1570 mm, and a wheelbase of 2600 mm. We can expect a curbweight of about 1255 kg.
Toyota Matrix will be the focal point of the Toyota display at many auto shows in Canada this year, says Wearing, starting in Montréal at the Olympic Stadium from January 26 to February 4, moving to Toronto's Canadian International Auto Show from February 16-25, and then going to Vancouver from March 31 to April 7.
The Japanese company has been on something of a product tear recently, adding trucks, performance sedans, SUVs, luxury roadsters and what-have-you's to markets it previously didn't compete in, under both the Toyota and upscale Lexus badges.
Toyota Canada hopes the Cambridge, Ontario-built Matrix will catch the attention of younger buyers when Matrix goes on sale in 2002. This is a huge segment that has been actively avoiding Toyota in recent years.
"Blending sports car performance, SUV versatility, and compact affordability in a strikingly original package," says Tony Wearing of Toyota Canada, "Matrix is aimed squarely at the tastes and aspirations of a whole new generation of Toyota buyers."
The group vice-president in charge of vehicle sales and marketing at Toyota Canada says "Matrix takes a powerful leap past anything currently available to young first-time owners and those looking for outstanding design and a high level of performance at a reasonable cost."
Wearing says Toyota set "extremely high goals for this vehicle, aiming for best-in-class standards of power, handling, comfort and value. Buyers no longer have to choose between practicality and fun, or trade performance for versatility, because Matrix has it all in one great package."
The Matrix should compete for buyers who are also considering the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Ford Focus wagon, and the recently unveiled Pontiac Vibe, which is a close sibling of the Matrix to be built on the joint GM/Toyota assembly line in Fremont, California.
Toyota Canada will also expand the assembly facility in Cambridge so that it can continue to build the popular Corolla compact sedan after it's totally redesigned for the 2002 model year. It's probably no surprise, then, that the Matrix will be built on a platform very similar to that of the new Corolla.
As for Matrix's shape, Wearing says it "fuses SUV styling cues such as an aggressive front grille, a rear skid plate and tailgate hatch with bold character lines, 16-inch wheels and an optional ground effects package."
Artists at Toyota's California design studio capitalized on recent advances in metal stamping techniques, Wearing says, and created "edge-web" body panels. "The edge-web detailing integrates sharp surface edges with rounded web-like contours to create strong, flowing character lines."
Matrix will be offered in three trim levels, Wearing explains, in both front- and four-wheel drive configurations, and with a choice of engines and transmissions to provide a "variety of utility and performance"
The standard engine for Matrix is Toyota's 130-horsepower, 4-cylinder with VVTL-i (Toyota's name for variable-valve timing) which will earn California's tough ULEV-rated for fuel economy and emissions.
The Sport version gets ground effects styling, 17-inch wheels and tires, and is equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission combined with the sophisticated 1.8-litre, 180 horsepower VVTL-i high-revving I-4 found in the Celica GT-S.
Wearing says that, whatever the trim level, every Matrix "provides the interior space, headroom and comfort of a 5-passenger vehicle combined with the adaptability and capacity of an SUV. This includes a new sliding track system developed especially for Matrix that maximizes the space and flexibility of the cargo area".
Key dimensions of Matrix include an overall length of 4350 mm, a width of 1765 mm, a height of 1570 mm, and a wheelbase of 2600 mm. We can expect a curbweight of about 1255 kg.
Toyota Matrix will be the focal point of the Toyota display at many auto shows in Canada this year, says Wearing, starting in Montréal at the Olympic Stadium from January 26 to February 4, moving to Toronto's Canadian International Auto Show from February 16-25, and then going to Vancouver from March 31 to April 7.
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