The Toyota Avanza and its Daihatsu Xenia twin are three-row MPVs developed by Daihatsu and sold mainly in Indonesia and other emerging markets. The Avanza replaced the Kijang at the bottom of Toyota’s MPV range and became Indonesia’s best-selling passenger car for more than a decade.
Toyota Avanza at a glance
| Maker | Toyota, developed and built by Daihatsu |
|---|---|
| Production | Since January 2004 |
| Twin model | Daihatsu Xenia |
| Class | Entry-level three-row MPV |
| First engine | 1.3-litre K3-DE four-cylinder |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive for the first two generations |
| Chassis | Semi-unibody: front half ladder frame, rear half monocoque |
| Built in | Sunter and Karawang, Indonesia |
| Name | From the Spanish avanza, “get moving” |
| Sold | About 2.75 million Avanza/Xenia by November 2018 |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Toyota Avanza.
History of the Toyota Avanza
Why the Avanza existed
The project began after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when the price of the best-selling Kijang had risen sharply. Feasibility studies started in 1999, when Toyota-Astra Motor asked for a cheaper vehicle below the Kijang. Toyota gave development and production to Astra Daihatsu Motor, which knew how to build low-cost cars in Indonesia, and the two companies invested about US$90 million. Toyota called it the U-IMV project, referring to the Innova that sits above it on the IMV platform. The first two generations used a semi-unibody chassis, with a ladder-frame front half and a monocoque rear, which kept the rear-wheel drive and load capacity of earlier Kijangs; journalists noted less stable high-speed behaviour and more noise as a result.
First generation (F600; 2004)
The Avanza was unveiled on 11 December 2003 and released on 15 January 2004, with development led by Toyota chief engineer Kaoru Hosokawa. It was built at Daihatsu’s Sunter plant with 61 per cent local parts. Toyota expected 30,000 sales in 2004 but had 25,000 bookings in January alone and sold 43,936 cars that year, making it Indonesia’s third best-seller; from 2006 it was the best-selling car in the country. At launch there were 1.3 E and 1.3 G grades with a five-speed manual; a 1.3 S with a four-speed automatic followed in July 2004.
Growth and later generations
The Avanza was sold throughout Southeast Asia and also in Mexico, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Egypt and southern Africa; a rebadged version was sold in China by FAW until 2016. At its 2013 peak it accounted for 17 per cent of all car sales in Indonesia, or 22 per cent together with the Xenia. The third generation moved to the Daihatsu New Global Architecture with front-wheel drive and a full monocoque, as Indonesian roads had improved and the layout brought efficiency and comfort benefits. In 2021 the range gained a twin model called the Veloz, previously the name of the top Avanza grade.
Design and features
- Three rows: space for seven in a compact, low-cost package.
- Semi-unibody chassis: rear-wheel drive and load capacity for the first two generations.
- Local production: built in Indonesia with a high share of local parts.
- Best-seller: Indonesia’s top-selling passenger car from 2006 to 2019.
Toyota Avanza versions
- 1.3 E and 1.3 G (2004): launch grades with a five-speed manual.
- 1.3 S (2004): limited-production grade with a four-speed automatic.
- Daihatsu Xenia: the twin model sold through Daihatsu dealers.
- Veloz (2021): a separate twin model, previously the top Avanza grade.
- Third generation: front-wheel drive on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture.
The Avanza sits below the Innova and took over from the Kijang as Toyota’s entry MPV. More cars are in the Toyota collection.
Sources
- Toyota Avanza, English Wikipedia: development, generations, sales
