Toyota's Aussie Concepts

Toyota’s local talent shone brightly, but burned all too briefly

- Byron Mathioudakis

THE NEW millennium was a hive of activity at Toyota’s Altona HQ, with no fewer than three concept vehicles designed and engineered to show off the substantial Aussie talent within.

First cab off the rank was the 2003 X-Runner Concept. Nobody will argue that it’s the sexiest Avalon ever, this monocoque-bodied coupe utility employed a longer wheelbase than the standard sedan, and featured a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 driving all four wheels via an AWD system nicked from the Lexus RX. The rear suspension was also modified over the donor sedan to incorporate the torsion beam from a Tarago AWD.