Toyota is planning to introduce new Alphard MPV and it could be Flagship Toyota in India
Toyota officially showcased the Alphard MPV at the 2018 Auto Expo and the model received positive feedback from visitors. Even though premium MPV is popular in other Asian countries, this Mini-van inspired body style is not so popular among Indians and currently, the market is ruled by Innova Crysta.
Here are five things you should know about Alphard MPV:
1. Mini Van Styling
The design of Alphard is different from other models in our market as it gets sharp styling at front with chrome finished grille and swept projector headlamps with DRLs. The fog lamp housing gets a vertical design with chrome finish. The side design is plain like other MPVs and mirror is placed on the door and the Alphard get sliding rear doors. The rear gets LED tail lamps with a thick chrome strip in the middle and an integrated spoiler. Overall the boxy shape with aggressive design will make it stand out.
2. Premium Interior
Toyota has given a premium design theme for the interior of Alphard and the materials used inside the cabin is top notch. The Alphard gets a big touchscreen infotainment system in the dashboard along with lots of features like automatic sliding doors, 3.7-inch LED touchscreen with Bluetooth and USB, ventilated front seats, 12 speakers JBL audio system, 3 zone climate control, smartphone wireless charging and more.
3. Powertrain
The Alphard comes with petrol and hybrid engine options as the later is the same 2.5 L petrol-hybrid engine from the Camry as we are expecting Indian model to come with the same motor as Toyota is already assembling it. The 2GR-FKS 3.5 L V6 petrol engine producing 301 PS of power and 361 Nm of torque, this engine is mated to 8 speed automatic gearbox with good efficiency also.
4. Safety
Toyota has also focused on safety with Alphard as it comes with regular features like airbags, ABS, Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Traction Control System (TCS). But the second generation model also comes with Toyota Safety Sense P with new Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Tracing Assist (LCA), Lane Departure Assist (LDA) and Advance Car Star Notification.
5. Flagship MPV
The Alphard will be positioned above Innova Crysta in the lineup and pricing will be on the premium end. The company is expected to bring the MPV as CBU model initially and depending on demand, they will start local assembly operations in India. The new homologation rule will further help Toyota to bring the Alphard easily and we can expect the launch to take place in 2019.