Hybrid Synergy Drive is a revolutionary technology for hybrid cars that optimises power from an electric motor and petrol engine. Compared to regular vehicles, it delivers a smoother acceleration, improved fuel efficiency, lower emissions and a quieter performance. To achieve this, the system precisely integrates and controls the engine and motor in various driving conditions and speeds. Experience this state-of-the-art technology now, which is available on the Prius and PRIUS c.

The Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence engine provides optimal valve timing to suit any driving condition. By controlling both the intake and exhaust camshafts, it promotes valve timing that is optimally suited to the engine's operating conditions. The result is a highly efficient system that provides more power and yet delivers excellent fuel efficiency, more torque at low engine speeds and better power output at high speeds. You can enjoy the thrills of the Dual VVT-i engine, which is now available on Corolla Altis and Camry.

More power, improved fuel efficiency, cleaner exhaust emissions. Based on the principle of maximising performance, the VVT-i engine matches the timing of the engine's air intake and exhaust to your driving situation, whether idling, accelerating, passing or cruising. Necessary adjustments are made every 1/1000th of a second. To give you a boost during full acceleration, the on-board 32-bit microcomputer turns the air-con system off for a few seconds, returning it to power once you are back to stable speed. This happens so fast, you won't feel any change in comfort. The engine manifold intake and exhaust have been reversed in the VVT-i engine. The intake is in the front and the output is in the rear of the engine. This improves efficiency, reduces intake noise and shortens the distance to the catalytic converter. You can experience the power and advantages of the VVT-i engine on Toyota models such as the Vios, Camry, Avanza, Innova, Fortuner, Hilux, Rush, Hiace, Prius and PRIUS c.

The Hilux, Fortuner 2.5G and Hiace 2.5 Turbo Diesel are equipped with the D-4D diesel engine. It uses a high performance common rail direct injection system which delivers high power, low fuel consumption, improved environmental performance and low maintenance. In the common rail diesel engine, direct injection delivers fuel directly to the combustion chamber to produce power and minimise heat lost. Electronic control enable the fuel injection system to be operated with ultimate precision. High pressure and fine atomisation injection significantly increase the fuel efficiency. These three important features produce outstanding engine performance. Fine atomisation refers to the high pressure injection of fuel into the combustion chamber in extremely fine spray. This enable easier ignition and more efficient combustion than previous systems. To achieve this, the diameter of the injection holes at the end of the injector is approximately 0.14mm or about as wide as a human hair. Because the injection holes are so small, it's essential that clean fuel is supplied to prevent the fuel from clogging at the point of injection. If foreign matter is mixed in with the fuel, it will clog the nozzle. The full potential of the high performance common rail will not be realised. Therefore a new high performance fuel filter has been developed for the D-4D to make sure that clean fuel is supplied to the injectors. The newly developed fuel filter is called a Honeycomb Element. It has an extremely dense filtration structure, making it a high performance filter. The filtration removes minute foreign matter, even particles not visible to the naked eye. The diameter of the fibre has also been reduced to increase the capacity and enable the removal of a greater volume of foreign materials. This lengthens the effective service life of the filter. Furthermore, a fuel filter warning system is employed to monitor the performance of the filter. This ensures that clean fuel is always supplied to the injection system. The synergy between the filter and warning system significantly extends the service life of the fuel filter. Under normal driving conditions, the D-4D's fuel filter element actually lasts about 350,000km, much longer than the service life of the average vehicle. However, if fuel containing a lot of foreign material is used, the fuel filter will reach the limit of its effective performance quicker. The warning lamp will illuminate. If this happens, just bring in your vehicle to a Toyta dealer for inspection and repair. To ensure that your D-4D Common Rail Engine's performance is optimised, use only genuine Toyota parts. If imitation fuel filters are used, the filtration performance will greatly decrease. Service life shortens and the warning indicator lamp will not function properly.

The main function of ABS is to judge when wheel lock is about to occur and prevent it. Everyone has seen cars screeching to a halt, smoke rising from the asphalt. The smoke comes from the tyre rubber burned by friction between the road and locked wheels. If the driver turns the front wheels in this situation, chances are the car will not steer according to the driver's input. That's because locked wheels rob the tyres of their cornering power. ABS helps prevent wheel lock. When the brakes are applied, the tyres begin to slip. ABS measures the degree of slip to determine when wheel lock will occur from the degree of slip, and reduces hydraulic pressure to prevent it. Because ABS allows the wheels to roll – albeit at a slower speed than the vehicle velocity – the vehicle maintains directional and steering control. If you drive a car with ABS and encounter a situation that calls for sudden braking, depress the brake pedal with all your strength. ABS will help your car maintain steering capability. Nevertheless, ABS cannot extract more performance from the tyres than they are designed to provide. In addition, road conditions and excessive speed when cornering can still cause accidents. Vehicles with ABS should be driven just as prudently as those without.

When a driver isn't able to press the brake pedal hard enough when braking in an emergency situation, BA helps generate greater braking force and contributes to realising excellent braking performance. BA is designed to merely assist the driver, and cannot achieve braking performance that is beyond the capability of the wheels. Therefore, it is important for the driver to maintain a speed and distance appropriate to the road conditions.

EBD is an added function to the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which is designed to properly control front/rear and left/right wheel braking force regardless of the difference in load or the total number of occupants , load conditions, whether the vehicle is decelerating, or when cornering. EBD helps ensure excellent vehicle stability and contributes to the realisation of excellent braking performance. EBD is designed to merely assist the drive, and cannot achieve braking performance that is beyond the capability of the wheels. Therefore, it is important for the driver to maintain speed and distance appropriate with the total number of occupants, load or road condition, and when cornering.

LSD systems help prevent free-wheeling when the car goes through a tight curve or hits a slick spot with one wheel. On roads that are beginning to dry after rainfall, for example, certain parts of the road may retain patches of standing water. A car equipped with an LSD system will identify the situation and transfer power to the wheel with traction, helping to keep the vehicle under control. In addition, if one wheel gets blocked off the ground, or digs a hole for itself, power is transferred to the other drive wheels, making it easier for the driver to extricate the car. Obviously, driver awareness of road conditions and appropriate speeds for these conditions are necessary to permit the system to provide maximum effectiveness. LSD systems are not a substitute for prudent driving.

High-speed cornering or cornering on wet and slippery surfaces can cause a car to spin. VSC senses wheel spin and controls the braking power on each wheel and the throttle to secure stable driving. VSC, however, does not and cannot extend a vehicle's critical limits. It is important for drivers of cars equipped with VSC to drive safely. If the VSC senses an oversteer situation, it closes an appropriate amount of the throttle while applying brake pressure on the front outside wheel. If the VSC senses an understeer situation, it closes an appropriate amount of the throttle and applies brake pressure on the rear inside wheel. Built in with the VSC is a Traction Control System (TRC) that allows the VSC to eliminate the Traction Control should the situation arise. For example, the Corolla Altis has a switch that allows you to manually control the Traction Control System. For example, if you were stuck in the mud, it would be better to turn off the TRC switch. This is because VSC is an advanced total control system that adds braking control to the ideal traction control.

An automobile's wheels may tend to spin when starting out or accelerating. In some cases, loss of traction can cause the tyres to lose their grip and allow the vehicle to slide sideways. This penomenon can be seen on freeways with standing water on the pavement. Toyota's TRC system regulates engine and brakes to help provide as much control of wheel slip as possible during start-up or acceleration. If a wheel loses traction, the wheel speed sensor detects a sudden increase in wheel rpm. This information goes to the TRC electronic control unit (ECU), which commands the sub-throttle actuator to close the sub-throttle valve to reduce engine torque. At the same time, the ECU commands the brake actuator to engage the brakes on the affected wheel until it regains traction. Obviously, driver awareness of road hazards and appropriate response is also required to avoid dangerous situations and to give the various systems time to operate. Toyota's TRC system uses components of ABS and engine management systems, as well as components designed specifically for TRC. The system helps the driver maintain control of the automobile and optimises traction, even on slippery surfaces.

In a rear-end collision, active headrests move diagonally upwards to catch the back of the front seat occupant's head, thus reducing both the degree of impact to the neck and severity of a whiplash injury.

When an accident happens, the occupants of the automobile must be protected by minimising the forces transmitted to their bodies. Crumple zones are incorporated in the front and rear to absorb as much collision force as possible. The remaining energy is dissipated throughout the body framework. This kind of efficient energy-absorbing structure goes a long way towards preserving cabin integrity. The front side members of our automobile bodies are beaded at carefully-calculated intervals to promote crumpling and more effectively absorb energy. Meanwhile, strong centre pillars and floor cross members help reduce side impact. Doors have side impact beams to help disperse the collision energy, and reduce the velocity at which the door pushes into the cabin.

The seatbelt with pretensioner and force limiter activate when a strong impact is detected during a frontal collision. Pretensioners enhance the effect of occupant restraint performance while force limiters mitigate the impact applied to the chest, thus contributing to excellent occupant restraint performance.

WIL concept seats simultaneously cushion the head and torso of front seat occupants during a rear-end collision and alleviate the impact to the neck region to help reduce injuries to that area.

In vehicles without airbags, secondary impact injuries are minimised through the steering wheel's energy-absorbing construction. The centre pad has a framework of deformable steel plating that will bend under impact. This increases the impact absorption area and reduces the chance of injury. The entire steering wheel and upper steering column structure are attached to a beam-type steering column support with either deformable energy-absorbing (EA) plates or bendable brackets, providing additional energy absorption. That means it will be minimally affected by the crumpling of the automobile's crumple zones in a collision.

SRS front airbags are designed to reduce serious injury to the head, face or chest areas of front passengers. When impact of a certain magnitude is detected, the airbag's inflator activates, quickly filling the airbag with gas and causing it to deploy. This helps cushion the impact between the front occupants' faces and upper torsos and the steering wheel or dashboard. When used with properly fastened seatbelts, front airbags have been reported to reduce the fatality rate by 46% in the driver's seat*. Please note that they are NOT designed to be used as a primary occupant restraint system. *Source: Fatality Reduction in Frontal Collisions (SAE910901), D. Viano, GMRL

We attempt to reduce the chance of occupant injury from striking interior protrusions by designing low-profile switches and knobs, with smooth, rounded surfaces. And we carefully choose the plastics used inside our automobiles, giving preference where possible to materials that will not easily break into sharp shards on impact. Certain larger items, such as the inside rearview mirror, are designed to break loose if hit hard. This also helps reduce the chance of injury.