Sydney City Toyota is delighted to have been part of the successful Tundra Insiders Program which has resulted in the full-size utility being incorporated into our range from this month.
The Tundra is based on the same platform as LandCruiser 300, uses a 3.5litre twin turbo V6. i-Force hybrid power train and develops 326kW of power and a massive 790Nm of torque.
Most importantly it has a towing capacity of 4.5tonnes which makes it ideal for recreation and business purposes.
We helped Toyota trial the Tundra at the end of a six year development program to determine whether it could be brought from the United States for sale here.
Three hundred customers from selected dealerships including ours were able to lease prototype Tundras to evaluate them in real world conditions – and their feedback has been amazingly positive.
The American built Tundra has been re-engineered by Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Melbourne under the close supervision of Toyota Australia engineers. One of the major revisions has been a conversion from left to right hand drive to Toyota standards.
The Tundra is an iconic American pickup. More than 2.5million have been made at our plant in San Antonio Texas since the first generation was launched in 1999.
Tundras are revered in the United States. There are millionmile versions , they’ve appeared in Superbowl commercials. One even towed the Space Shuttle Endeavour across Los Angeles to the California Space Centre.
Our third generation Tundra is regarded as the best of the best.
It will be available initially in one limited grade. It will be joined by a top of the range premium version in Autumn 2025.
New year - new deal for all motorists
SYDNEY CITY TOYOTA PRINCIPAL JOHN ROCA OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE
There’s going to be a lot of confusion and a degree of anxiety in the new vehicle market in the New Year as the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) comes into effect.
Already we’re having customers ask us about likely outcomes as legislators accelerate energy controls which most car owners would prefer to happen at their pace.
My best advice is that if you’re looking for a new vehicle, buy now before the new regulations hit.
The NVES imposes substantial fines on car makers that fall outside prescribed fleet averages for energy use. If certain brands want to stay in business they’re going to pass those anticipated fines onto their customers in the form of higher purchase costs.
The good news is that at Toyota, we’re currently OK. We began planning for energy efficiency long before the government thought about it.
We’ve progressively introduced a range of highly efficient, fun and economical to drive cars based on hybrid-petrolelectric platforms that make our fleet averages look pretty good.
In 2025 more than half of all Toyotas sold will be Hybrid Electric or Battery Electric.
That doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our other lines.
Our chairman Akio Toyoda had made it quite clear that Toyota will continue to make vehicles that our customers want. That means if a customer wants a diesel, we’ll have it available.
That philosophy requires a lot of strategising. We’re looking several years out to ensure we balance our fleet averages in line with what will be increasingly stringent government requirements.
We’re fortunate we have such a wide and popular range. Many other car makers don’t and they’re the ones that will struggle to compete and even survive.
On the flip side, we’re expecting an influx of opportunistic brands, mainly electric vehicles. Not all of them will survive either.
It’s a tough market and as much as price it’s the heritage and longevity of a brand which is increasingly an important equation in the purchase decision.
Like I said, at Toyota, we’re fortunate.
With the holiday season approaching, we at Sydney City Toyota offer our best wishes to all our customers.
John Roca Dealer Principal
Making summer sensational
The priority of anyone planning to use their car over the holiday period is to be prepared. No one wants to have their precious holiday spoiled by a simple oversight. And although Toyotas ‘ never’ break down you don’t want to be kerbside, waiting for road service. We asked our resident holiday maker and ambassador Mark Warren to jot down a few of his tips.
1. Prepare Your Vehicle
• Full vehicle check: Before setting off, have your car thoroughly inspected. Ensure tires are properly inflated and have adequate tread, and check oil, coolant, and windshield washer fluid levels. Check your spare tire, making sure it’s inflated and in good condition.
• Emergency kit: Pack a roadside emergency kit including jumper cables, a flashlight, batteries, blankets, bottled water, non-perishable snacks, and a first-aid kit.
2. Plan Your Route Carefully
• Know your route: Map out your route ahead of time and familiarise yourself with alternative roads in case of traffic, accidents, or road closures.
• Use GPS: Even if you know your way, use a GPS or map app to stay updated on traffic patterns, road closures, and the fastest routes. Apps like Waze or Google Maps can provide real-time traffic information.
3. Stay Alert and Avoid Fatigue
• Rest well: Before hitting the road, make sure you’re well-rested to avoid fatigue.
• Take breaks: Stop for a rest every two hours or 100 miles. Stretching your legs and getting fresh air helps prevent fatigue.
4. Drive Defensively
• Be cautious of other drivers: Holiday roads can be packed with drivers, many of whom may be stressed or distracted. Keep your distance, and always anticipate sudden lane changes or erratic driving.
• Obey speed limits: Stick to the speed limit, especially in unfamiliar areas.
• Stay in your lane: Avoid weaving in and out of traffic to minimise your risk of accidents.
5. Stay Connected
• Keep your phone charged: Have a car charger to keep your phone fully charged, especially if using it for GPS or emergency calls.
• Let someone know your plans: Share your travel itinerary with friends or family, so they know where you are and when you’re expected to arrive.
6. Prepare for Delays
• Expect traffic: The holiday season means busy roads, so allow extra time to reach your destination.
• Pack for delays: Have extra snacks, water, and entertainment (music, audiobooks) in the car to keep everyone occupied if traffic slows you down.
7. Stay Safe at Stops
• Be vigilant in parking lots: During busy holiday travel, parking lots can be chaotic. Park in well-lit areas, keep valuables out of sight, and lock your doors.
8. Monitor Your Gas Level
• Don’t let it drop too low: Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid running out of fuel if you get stuck in traffic or face unexpected detours.
Prado on pole
James Spanos, father of two young children and a secondgeneration guest of Sydney City Toyota has become one of the first people in Australia to take delivery of the new 250 Series Toyota LandCruiser Prado.
It’s black on black – black exterior, black trim and even black rims. “It totally blew me away when they unveiled it to me in the dealership,” James said. “I had no idea it would look so good.”
James is one of 25,000 people in Australia who’ll take delivery of their new LandCruiser Prado in the next twelve months. Demand has been so great that Toyota has introduced a new, streamlined, ordering system to manage our guests’ expectations.
You’re able to place an expression of interest without putting down a deposit. Delivery time depends on which of the five LandCruiser Prado grades you order and their specification. Within that equation delivery is quoted as between one month, and one year.
“I placed my order last December,” James said. But of course, in his case the new LandCruiser Prado hadn’t then been released. It was brought to market, with great acclaim, only mid-November.
We’re proud James has been the first to drive away in a LandCruiser Prado from Sydney City Toyota.
His dad Peter has been one of our customers for more than 25 years, and his brother George is also a customer. With James’ new purchase they’re now a totally Toyota family.
“I’ve been driving HiLux’s for more than a decade,” James said. But with a growing family (son Patrick is two-and-a-half, and baby Thomas is just one), the time had come to acquire a true family car, trading a smaller vehicle of another make.
James travels the state in his HiLux representing the family’s waterproofing business – he clocked up 300,000kms in his first HiLux and is at 150,000kms in his current vehicle –so the LandCruiser Prado is to be driven by his wife Joanna.
“The only extra we specified is a tow bar,” James said. “One day soon, when the boys are big enough, the next purchase will be a boat.”
Support the brigade
It’s with great pride that we introduce our customers to Australia’s oldest continuous community help organisation, and our latest local support opportunity – The Girls and Boys Brigade.
Our team members do food and clothing runs with the Brigade, we hold regular collections of clothing in our dealerships and Toyota Finance Australia has donated a Yaris Cross to assist them.
They’re an incredible story – formed 142 years ago by newspaper proprietors J.B. Fairfax (Sydney Morning Herald) and A.S. Bennett (Evening News) to provide a safe place for newspaper delivery boys who would otherwise have been homeless.
At its height “Boysies” sheltered 400 homeless children. It welcomed girls into the Brigade in 1983 and changed its name to the Girls and Boys Brigade in 2003.
Today it supports more than 250 children, youth and families with a variety of programs, and we’re proud
to call its executive officer Stefan Lamour-Jansson friend. Stefan is an alumni of the Girls and Boys Brigade which makes him living proof of its value.
If you like to learn more, please speak to us at Sydney City Toyota or go to www.girlsandboysbrigade.org.au
200,000 people who didn’t want to make the drive east. And beyond all that, we could have lifted our bikes off the roof and pedalled along paths celebrating the very first days of settlement.
The Whitewater Stadium is great for adventure. A 90-minute thrill a minute rush on guided inflatables down the Olympic course that are home to Toyota ambassador Olympic gold medallist Jessica Fox, is a huge thrill.
A lunch cruise on the Nepean Belle paddle steamer (02 47331274), built 40 years ago especially for this stretch of river, where the paddle blades turn over at a leisurely 17 revs a minute, is idyllic.
At the Museum of Fire (1 Museum Drive -0459893 925) the kids, and their parents, can ride on genuine hook and ladder engines.
The Penrith Panthers (123 Mulgoa Road) offers everything from aqua golf through cable waterskiing and indoor sky diving. There’s even a hotel if you want to stop over.
Personally, we prefer to drive home – just to feel smug on our open motorway as we look at the traffic jams of people struggling back from the beach.
Heartland racing –Supra at Bathurst
‘We race- you win’ is Toyota’s motor racing catchcry.
Now we’re putting it to the test big time with our entry in Australia’s premier domestic racing series Supercars with our Supra due to take the grid in 2026.
Sydney City Toyota has been a sponsor of our highly successful one make series, the Toyota GR Cup for Toyota’s fabulous 86 sports car, over the past nine years of its existence, first with high achiever Luke King and now with father and daughter team Carol and Annabelle Rudolfo.
The move up to the outright class is a quantum leap and it’s excited not only our own team members but many of our customers.
“About time,” is the feedback we’ve been getting. We’ll be partnering with Walkinshaw United, the same group responsible for reengineering our mighty Tundra. Walkinshaw has won seven Bathurst 1000s, six driver’s championships and 191 championship races. They know what they’re doing.
This year our own design group headed by Nick Hogios in Melbourne is working in close collaboration with Walkinshaw to build a Toyota Supra to Supercar regulations.
It will use Toyota’s proven 2UR-GSE all aluminium quad cam V8 that has been the staple of our international racing efforts, and prototypes will be running in plenty of time for the start of the 2026 title.
Click to watch the video as John takes us through the new model line-up that arrived in our showrooms in 2024!
From all of us at Sydney City Toyota to all our customers and colleagues, thank you for your contribution to a marvellous 2024 - and all our best wishes for an even better 2025.
Job seeking – a career with us
At this time of the year school leavers are thinking seriously about their career prospects, and, curiously, the holiday period is also the time those already in the workforce consider change.
At Sydney City Toyota we’re here to help.
Our General Manager Service Con Hatzivasiliou has developed a presentation which he’s taking to our associates in the community to assist them to better understand their opportunities – especially in the motor industry, and specifically with us.
Con has already presented to young members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League, one of the local sports groups we support, and also to the Girls and Boys League.
He’s keen to broaden the net and to address as many schools and common interest groups he can.
We consider ourselves a local business representing a global brand. A lot of our values are tied to our community and it’s a privilege to be able to employ, and train locally.
If you’d like to pursue the potential please email us on careers@sydneycitytoyota.com.au
