'WiLL' Finds Its Way to 2001 LA Auto Show In the Form of a Concept Vehicle
3 January 2001
'WiLL' Finds Its Way to 2001 Los Angeles Auto Show In the Form of a New Concept Vehicle LOS ANGELES, Jan. 2 Where there's a WiLL, there's a way.
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is offering Southern California car enthusiasts
a unique look at a new styling direction for young new-car buyers in the Japan
market. Visitors at the 2001 Los Angeles Auto Show will be able to see the
all-new WiLL Concept Car at the Toyota exhibit when the show opens January 6.
The WiLL Concept Car is in Los Angeles to gauge the response of
trend-setting California youth, which TMC hopes will provide them with
marketing insight they can use in Japan.
The development of the WiLL Concept Car was a joint effort between WiLL, a
popular brand name for several products in the Japan marketplace, and the
Virtual Venture Company (VVC), an organization within TMC. Established in
1997, VVC is charged with giving Toyota a more youthful image and customer
base by identifying future trends, developing marketing plans for vehicles
positioned toward younger buyers and creating a youth sub-brand strategy.
The WiLL Concept Car is a sporty five-door specialty vehicle with a
coupe-like silhouette that offers fun, practicality and performance. The
unique exterior design is composed of a concave surface and sharp character
lines. Styling is further enhanced with projector headlamps, and gray privacy
glass on the rear doors and hatch. The sleek rear design conveys strength and
aggressiveness, while the rear hatch allows for easy cargo access.
The interior offers seating for five and a design that complements its
vibrant exterior. Unique features include a special instrument panel with red
Optitron gauges, a slanting center console, a fighter-jet-inspired shift lever
and high-back front seats. Additional interior features include a three-spoke
sport steering wheel, power windows and door locks, air conditioning, and
60/40 folding rear seats for added cargo capacity.
The WiLL's unique styling is complemented with impressive performance
capability. Powered by the same 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that is
currently available on the popular Celica GT-S here in the U.S., the WiLL
Concept Car generates 180 horsepower at 7,600 rpm and 130 lbs./ft. of torque
at 6,800 rpm. The engine is equipped with variable valve timing and lift,
with intelligence control (VVTL-i) to inject an extra dose of performance from
6,000 rpm to the redline at 7,800 rpm. VVTL-i increases the intake/exhaust
lift when the engine speed is high to improve output and fuel efficiency.
The engine is linked to a four-speed automatic transmission equipped with
sport-shift steering-wheel mounted buttons, similar to a Formula One race car.
The sport-shift feature allows "manual" shifting of the automatic transmission
via buttons embedded in the steering wheel when the gear shift lever is in the
"M" mode position. To upshift, simply press one of the two buttons on the
back of the steering wheel spokes then depress one of the two buttons on the
front of the spokes to downshift.
Braking performance on the front-wheel drive WiLL Concept Car is enhanced
by front and rear discs and excellent ride performance is achieved with
18-inch alloy wheels.
A production version of the WiLL Concept Car is slated to go on sale in
the Japan market in the future. The WiLL Concept Car is the second vehicle
under the WiLL brand to be built by Toyota. The first WiLL vehicle, the Vi,
has been on sale in Japan since January 2000. VVC is currently studying the
possibilities of expanding the WiLL vehicle series that would again be aimed
at the youth market, but no decisions have been made.
