Echo worth repeating

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

The Toyota Echo, the New Zealand Herald's 2000 Car of the Year, isn't expected to appear in the next James Bond film.

But it will be there in spirit - because the man who designed the Echo is now working for British carmaker Aston Martin and penning 007's next supercar.

Greek Sotiris Kovos styled the Echo at Toyota's European design centre in Belgium. He also penned the original design for Toyota's just-launched sportscar, the MR-2 Spyder, and the Lexus Coupe.

Kovos, 33, a graduate of London's Royal College of Art, set out to devise a small-car style that would create emotion.

"Too many small cars are bland and featureless," he said. "We wanted people to love the Echo or, if they must, hate it. That is at least better than being indifferent."

Toyota has found that New Zealand buyers are far from indifferent. It has been selling an average of 26 Echo models a week since the car was launched 12 months ago yesterday.

"Obviously we are delighted to win the New Zealand Herald award," said Spencer Morris, product manager for Toyota New Zealand.

"Since its launch, Echo has been taken into the hearts of New Zealanders. We are thrilled that this car has received such an endorsement from motoring experts and customers alike."

The Echo sets a new benchmark for small cars, with eye-catching looks, good ride and handling, and a cleverly packaged interior, highlighted by its dashboard design and use of space.

The most popular variant is the three- and five-door hatchback, powered by a 1.3-litre variable-valve, four-cylinder engine and priced between $21,200 and $25,000.

It sells at the rate of two to one over the sedan, which uses a 1.5-litre engine and costs between $25,800 and $27,000. The sedan is just as appealing as the hatch on the inside but suffers sadly in looks from the addition of a boot. Think of the hatchback as Cinderella and the sedan as a friendly Ugly Sister.

Kovos and his team worked on 65 different designs of the Echo. They benchmarked it against other small cars from European manufacturers before arriving at the finished product.

Toyota invited people who no longer needed a big car, to the design centre. Of all the small cars on show, 65 per cent went for the Echo.

Reaction to the car in Europe last year - where it is called the Yaris - was immediate. It picked up all sorts of awards, including the prestigious European Car of the Year for 2000.

The hatchback Echo is expected to be joined next year by a sports version, called T Sport, a brand created to give Toyota a youthful image.

The hot model was recently unveiled in Europe and is powered by a 1.5-litre VVTi engine and has lowered suspension, side skirts, spoiler, 15-inch alloy wheels and upbeat interior.

There is also a hotter T Sport Celica. The idea of T Sport is to emphasise the carmaker's world rally championship and Le Mans 24-hour campaigns and its entry into Formula One in 2002.

* Ford-owned Aston Martin will take up where BMW left off as James Bond's favourite set of wheels. The Aston Martin DB5 was the first 007 car, nearly 40 years ago in the movie Dr No. It appeared in a couple more before the scramble among carmakers to get into a Bond movie became too expensive and Aston Martin ruled itself out.