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| Founded | August 1999 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | July 2004 |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Owner | Toyota |
TheWiLL brand was a marketing approach shared by a small group of Japanese companies who decided to offer products and services that focused on a younger demographic from August 1999 until July 2004 in Japan. The companies that participated were theKao Corporation (a manufacturer of personal hygiene, household detergents, and cosmetics),Toyota,Asahi Breweries,Panasonic,Kinki Nippon Tourist Company, Ltd,Ezaki Glico Candy, andKokuyo Co., Ltd. (an office furniture and stationery manufacturer). Toyota also engaged in a similar "youth oriented" approach in North America, with theProject Genesis program. This selective marketing experiment reflected a Japanese engineering philosophy calledKansei engineering, which was used by other Japanese companies. All products were listed online at "willshop.com".[1]
Toyota offered three individually designed cars, based on the mechanicals of existing Toyota models. The series was intended to appeal to markets that were not covered by Toyota's mainstream range, and to discover how commercially feasible such unusual designs were. The AmericanScion range is based on a similar concept.[2] All WiLL vehicles were only sold in Japan, and only atToyota Vista Store locations. When the WiLL project ended in 2004, Toyota stopped producing WiLL-branded vehicles, and renamed theToyota Vista dealerships toToyota NETZ, that coincided with the launch of the North American introduction of Scion, using lessons learned from the WiLL project.
| WiLL Vi series NCP19 | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Production | Jan 17th 2000 – Dec 2001[3] |
| Assembly | Ohira, Japan (Central Motors) Yokosuka, Japan (Kanto Auto Works) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact |
| Body style | 4-doorsedan |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | NBC platform |
| Related | Toyota Vitz |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 2NZ-FE 1.3 LI4DOHC |
| Transmission | 4-speedautomatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,370 mm (93.3 in) |
| Length | 3,760 mm (148.0 in) |
| Width | 1,660 mm (65.4 in) |
| Height | 1,600 mm (63.0 in) |
| Curb weight | 950 kg (2,090 lb) |
TheWiLL Vi is a subcompact car, produced from 2000 to 2001, with distinctive styling combining elements of many cars. The WiLL Vi was designed by the then newly formed Virtual Venture Company, headed by Jim Shimizu.[2] The unique-appearing rear window had earlier appeared on theMazda Carol, lateReliant Regals, theFord Anglia (1959–1968), and theCitroen Ami. The "neo-retro" look represented a period in Japan where vehicles took on the styling of historic vehicles from the 1950s and 1960s, such as theNissan Be-1,Nissan Figaro,Nissan S-Cargo,Nissan Pao, theToyota Origin, theSubaru Vivio Bistro, and theMitsubishi Minica Town Bee. The curve of the tail section is also similar to that of thesecond generation of the Renault Mégane.
The car was equipped with MacPherson struts for the front wheels and a torsion beam axle for the rear wheels. The car was painted in a number of pastel colors, and the plastic wheel covers resemblesand dollars. One of the few options was a canvas sliding roof, and the vehicle was installed with bench seats for both front and rear passengers, with the gearshift installed on the dashboard.
The WiLL Vi's 16,000 sales were so disappointing compared to the Vitz's 600,000+ that the car was discontinued in December 2001 and was replaced by the WiLL Cypha.
| WiLL VS series NZE127/ZZE127/ZZE128/ZZE129 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Production | April 2001 – April 2004[3] |
| Assembly | Ohira, Japan (Central Motors) Yokosuka, Japan (Kanto Auto Works) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact |
| Body style | 5-doorhatchback |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Platform | MC platform |
| Related | Toyota Corolla (E120) |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1NZ-FE 1.5 LI4DOHC 1ZZ-FE 1.8 L I4 DOHC 2ZZ-GE 1.8 L I4 DOHC |
| Transmission | 4-speedautomatic 6-speedmanual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,600 mm (102.4 in) |
| Length | 4,385 mm (172.6 in) |
| Width | 1,720 mm (67.7 in) |
| Height | 1,440 mm (56.7 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,220 kg (2,690 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Toyota Auris |
.jpg)
TheWiLL VS was first introduced in 2001. It was formally introduced at the2001 Los Angeles Auto Show, as a precursor to the introduction ofScion to North America, and sales in the Japanese market in April of that year under a massive publicity campaign with British electronic groupUnderworld. The TV commercial featured their hit, "Born Slippy," originally released six years prior.[4] The WiLL VS was manufactured atKanto Auto Works.[5] Inspiration for the design of the WiLL VS was said to have been derived from theLockheed F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. It also has many appearance similarities to theRenault Avantime.
The WiLL VS came in three levels of trim. The top of the range model came with alloy wheels, fog-lamps, body kit andtiptronic gearshift. Models are available in automatic transmission, tiptronic, and a six-speed manual, powered by Toyota's 1800 cc VVT-I engine offering 140 hp or VVTL-I engine offering 180 hp, which is the unit in the higher spec Toyota Celica. The VS joined the revised Vi, renamed theCypha, and offered WiLL buyers the choice of a wider car with a more powerful engine. The width dimensions of the VS exceededJapanese Government regulations that taxed vehicles based on exterior dimensions, which buyers of the VS were liable.
In spite of its success in the Japanese market, where the WiLL VS had a cult following, the model was never released overseas. Production of the WiLL VS was stopped circa 2004 and a replacement model was never announced, much to the disappointment of its fans. Nevertheless, some would argue that there was no need to replace the WiLL VS for at least another decade given its futuristic design that some of the newer cars were only beginning to adopt. This would include trend-setting features such as the rakish body shape, aerodynamic angles, projector-style headlamp cluster (regarded as revolutionary in 2001), illuminated speedometer and clear LED tail lights.
The car was used as the police vehicle in the 2001 Hong Kong Film "2002" .
The car was used as the police vehicle "Machine Bull" in the 2004Super Sentai seriesTokusou Sentai Dekaranger and was used in the intro for its American adaptationPower Rangers SPD.
The WiLL VS is one of the few concept vehicles that went into production, albeit only in small numbers, only 15,000[6] were ever produced. In the years to follow, several other vehicles have taken styling cues from the WiLL VS, most notably the 2004Opel Astra and theRenault Mégane.
| WiLL Cypha NCP7 | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Production | September 2002 – February 2005[3] |
| Assembly | Ohira, Japan (Central Motors) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact |
| Body style | 5-doorhatchback |
| Layout | FF layout Optional AWD |
| Platform | NBC platform |
| Related | Toyota Vitz |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 2NZ-FE 1.3 LI4DOHC 1NZ-FE 1.5 L I4 DOHC |
| Transmission | 4-speedautomatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,370 mm (93.3 in) |
| Length | 3,695 mm (145.5 in) |
| Width | 1,675 mm (65.9 in) |
| Height | 1,550 mm (61.0 in) AWD 1,535 mm (60.4 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,090 kg (2,400 lb) AWD 990 kg (2,180 lb) |
WiLL Cypha was produced from 2002 to 2005. It shared many of its mechanicals, including the 1.3-litre 2NZ and 1.5-litre 1NZ engines, with theIst. Its styling developed themes seen in theVitz/Yaris, but has a more angular look, a continuation of the short-lived WiLL Vi. Notable features are the rear lights placed level with the rear window, giving a look of theRenault Mégane II, and the distinctive headlights which have four lamps per side arranged vertically. The interior used a rounded theme, with items such as the door pulls and the central console being circular. All Will VC' and WiLL Cyphas were manufactured byCentral Motors at its "Headquarters plant" located atOhira, Miyagi, Japan.
It was announced as WiLL VC in 2001 but was released as WiLL Cypha in 2002.
The Cypha (the words "cyber" and "phaeton" combined)[7] was one of the first Toyota vehicles to be installed with their vehicle telematics system calledG-Book. The vehicle was also promoted with a sales approach called "pay as you go" meaning that you were given the option not to buy the car with monthly payments, but to insteadlease the car, and only pay a monthly bill based on how far you drove in a month. When the driver no longer wanted the vehicle, they returned the car to theToyota dealership.
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A brand of:1GAC Toyota /2FAW Toyota /3defunct companies merged into Toyota Motor East Japan  Commons Category | |||||||||||||||
