Toyota Indonesia has just unveiled not one or two, but five models emblazoned with the GR badge and exterior ‘tune-up’. In summary, the models which are Agya, Yaris, Rush, Avanza Veloz and Fortuner all switch to the GR branding from the older TRD Sportivo branding.
Toyota Indonesia has long used the TRD Sportivo branding for the sporty variants of all its models. With the global direction to ride on GR or Toyota Gazoo Racing as the sporty and performance arm of Toyota, all models now switch to GR branding.
For Indonesia, the GR treatment on the five models are purely cosmetic, unlike the full treatment that UMW Toyota Motor has worked hard on the Toyota Vios GR Sport.
All models only feature updated GR aerokit, stickers and apart from the Avanza Veloz, the GR Sport emblem. All GR variants are also based on the range-topping variants for each respective model.
In the Fortuner and Rush, the GR Sport variants also add an exclusive dual-tone rim design. There are no changes to the interior unlike the Toyota Vios GR Sport and Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport models.
The Toyota Vios GR Sport in Malaysia (and also available in Vietnam and the Philippines) meanwhile features a full set of GR logos in the instrument panel, engine start-stop button, front headrests, carpet mats as well as tweaked damping system paired with larger and sticker tyres. The CVT-type transmission has also been reworked to offer 10 speeds for a sportier drive matching the image of the vehicle.
Toyota Indonesia recently launched the Raize compact SUV, and yes, there is also a Raize GR Sport variant. One aspect in offering GR variants that is consistent in all markets is the price- all GR variants introduced by Toyota Indonesia are the highest priced variants in their respective model line-up apart from the Fortuner GR Sport that is cheaper due to being 4×2 drivetrain.
While this might look like Toyota is milking the GR brand to the extremes, it is the distributor’s responsibility to ensure sales success to the principal and ensure dominating market share.
At the end of the day, historical sales data have shown that customers do have a strong desire for sportier-looking variants, without having to fork out more for the dynamism (suspension upgrade and larger tyres), and as such, Toyota Indonesia is just continuing to offer what the consumers and brand loyalists want.
GALLERY
Toyota Fortuner GR Sport
Toyota Yaris GR Sport
Toyota Rush GR Sport
