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Toyota unveils new Avensis engines - 16/05/2005 The marketing director of Toyota GB Matt Harrison has revealed that the Avensis will be the first car to be fitted out with the 175bhp D-4D engine. He said: "We are staggering the introduction of these engines because the growth of diesel sales in the UK's Upper Medium segment over the last three years have been for models with mid-power 121-150bhp engines." Mr Harrison went on: "Engines above 150bhp have consistently only accounted for around five per-cent of sales. With our current 2.0-litre D-4D 114bhp engine, which will continue in the Avensis line-up, we have only been able to compete in around one third of the upper medium diesel market. By introducing the 148bhp derivative it now gives us access to 95 per cent of the market opportunity". Expanding, he said. "Our broad objective this year is to sell 24,000 Avensis models in the UK, a little less than last year. Next year we expect, even after the introduction of these diesel engines, to see sales of 22,000 units. The reducing numbers are due to the declining new car market sales in the UK." Mr Harrison concluded: "The Upper Medium sector is a very difficult because it has become fragmented. You have volume manufacturers at one end of it discounting their products with special price package fleet sales, which we will not compete with, at the other end you have BMW and Audi introducing premium brand models such as the 3 Series and A4."
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