The new Toyota Auris touring sports

The new Toyota Auris Touring Sports makes its world debut at the 2012 Paris motor show, adding an estate body style to the range for the first time. Estate/wagon versions account for about 25 per cent of the sales mix in the mainstream family car market (C-segment) in Europe. Auris Touring Sports will be the first in the segment to be available with a full hybrid powertrain. The new model is versatile with a dynamic design that doesn’t compromise its load carrying ability. It also marks the latest stage in Toyota’s diversification of its full hybrid model line-up. Design Like the new Auris hatchback, Auris Touring Sports maximises its aerodynamic performance with a design that gives it a low height and low centre of gravity. It has the same 2,600mm wheelbase as the hatchback but is 285mm longer overall, all of which is accounted for in the extended loadspace. It also has the same front-end design as the hatch, but in profile the steeply raked windscreen flows into an extended roofline featuring anodised aluminium rails and an integrated rear spoiler. The side glazing extends across three panels, with gloss black B-pillars, and is underscored by a chrome-accented trim above a rising belt line crease. The bumper and tailgate have a new design, with the sill set 80mm lower than on the hatchback. The height of the licence plate is raised to maintain balanced proportions. The new wraparound rear combination lamps reinforce the shaped of the D-pillars and the rear screen. From Motorin news