Toyota Makes Two New Minivans for Export

10/25/96

Reuters reports that Toyota Motor Corp president Hiroshi Okuda announced at a press conference that Toyota will begin exporting two new minivan models to Australia later this month. Toyota launched the models--a six-seater called the LiteAce Noah and an eight-seater called the TownAce Noah--in Japan on Wednesday. The corporation set a monthly sales target for the models at 6,500 units, total.

Okuda said Toyota would export 350 of the new minivans per month, and that 300 of those would head for the Australian market. Over seas the vehicles will be called LiteAce and TownAce, respectively.

Toyota made the new models to compete with minivans like Honda Motor Co's Step Wagon and Nissan Motor Co Ltd's Serena. The company says the overall domestic market for minivans was 58,000 units in September and is likely to grow to 60,000 by December. Toyota thinks domestic orders for the new LiteAce Noah and TownAce Noah could initially reach 20,000 units a month.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel