Toyota Unveils Redesigned Estima Miniva

Toyota Motor Corp. will sell the revamped Estima minivan for between ¥2.67 million and ¥3.58 million with a monthly sales target of 7,000 units, the Toyota City, Japan-based company said. The minivan comes with either a 2.4-liter or 3.5-liter engine.

The Estima competes with at least six minivan models made by four other Japan-based carmakers in a market where 1 million units are sold every year, according to an estimate by Credit Suisse analyst Koji Endo. Toyota will redesign the gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Estima for domestic sale later this year. “With improved quality, better styling and features, we think the Estima can help us increase market share in the minivan market,” Toyota’s president Katsuaki Watanabe said.

The automaker has sold a total of 1.3 million Estimas since 1990, when the model was first released. In 2001, Toyota released Estima’s hybrid version, its second hybrid after the Prius.