Innova steals limelight at Jakarta Show

Even before its public unveiling, about 14,000 units of the Toyota Kijang Innova had been ordered. This demonstrates just how enthusiastic the public is about the successor to the legendary Kijang, which first hit Indonesia's streets in 1977.

Almost three decades later, the Kijang still rules the streets, with more of these vehicles on the roads than any other type of automobile.

Now PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia and PT Toyota- Astra Motor have finally introduced the Innova to the public. The first Innova was displayed to the press at Toyota's Karawang plant in West Java, while the public got a look at the vehicle on Saturday at the Jakarta Motor Show at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Toyota says the Innova is more aerodynamic than previous Kijangs, thanks to its low drag coefficient. The exterior look similar to the Toyota Wish, although the rear is slightly different.

Powered by a 2.0l VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligent) engine for all gasoline types, the Innova has a maximum output of 134 horsepower (hp) at 5,600 revolutions per minute (rpm), and a maximum torque of 182 Newton meter (Nm) at 4,000 rpm.

For a diesel engine, the Innova has a 2.5l D-4D (Direct 4- Stroke Diesel Turbo Commonrail) that provides maximum power of 100 hp at 3,600 rpm, and maximum torque of 200 Nm at up to 3,200 rpm for manual transmission and 260 Nm at up to 2,400 rpm for automatic transmission.

Since emission levels have become a hot topic, the Innova is ready to comply with European Emission Standard Step 2, or Euro 2 as it is more familiarly known.

Toyota is offering a three-year/100,000 kilometer warranty to Innova buyers at its 156 sales outlets and 129 service and spare parts centers nationwide.

Available in three variants with manual or automatic transmission, and gasoline or diesel engine, the Innova costs between Rp 190 million (US$20,652) and Rp 210 million. -- JP