Toyota Sera

Last updated

Toyota Sera (EXY10)
Toyota SERA (EXY10) front.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Toyota
ProductionFebruary 1990 December 1995 [1]
15,941 produced
AssemblyJapan: Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Central Motors)
Body and chassis
Class Sport car
Body style 3-door hatchback coupe
Layout Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Doors Butterfly doors
Related
Powertrain
Engine 1.5L 5E-FHE I4
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,300 mm (90.6 in)
Length3,860 mm (152.0 in)
Width1,650 mm (65.0 in)
Height1,265 mm (49.8 in)
Curb weight 930 kg (2,050 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor Toyota AXV-II Concept

The Toyota Sera (model designation EXY10) is a 3-door 2+2 hatchback coupe manufactured and marketed by Toyota from 1990 to 1996. [2] It was only officially sold in Japan.

Contents

The Sera debuted in 1988 as the Toyota AXV-II concept car in a near production-ready form, and is noted for its mostly glass roof canopy and its butterfly doors, which tilt up and forward when open. A year later, the production-version Sera was presented at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. A vertically-positioned and electrically-automated model was also shown to demonstrate the butterfly doors and rear hatch in action.

"Sera" is derived from the future tense of the French verb "étre," which means "to be." [2]

Overview

Toyota Sera with one of the butterfly doors open Toyota Sera AMI.JPG
Toyota Sera with one of the butterfly doors open
The distinctive glass roof "bubble" canopy provides a clear and wide opening view. SERA glass canopy.jpg
The distinctive glass roof "bubble" canopy provides a clear and wide opening view.

Released in a single engine configuration and body style, the Sera featured optional configurations for its transmission, brakes, cold climate and sound-system. Toyota marketed three trim versions, marketed as Phases, over its production and marketed the Sera exclusively in Japanese Toyota retail sales channels Toyota Auto Store as an alternative to the Toyota MR2, which was exclusive to Toyota Vista Store.

A total of 15,941 were built between February 1990 and December 1995. [1] 15,852 units were registered in Japan. Approx. 30 pre-production cars were used for development purposes.

Mechanical

The Sera came with the 1.5 L (1496 cc) inline 4 5E-FHE unleaded petrol engine, the largest capacity version of Toyota's E series of engines included in the Paseo and the Starlet. It produced 78 kW (104 hp) and 132 N⋅m (97 lb⋅ft) of torque. This was installed in a front-mount, front wheel drive transverse configuration with electronic fuel injection. All versions came with power assisted rack and pinion steering and either the Toyota A242L 4-speed automatic or the Toyota C155 5-speed manual transmission. The brakes were vented discs at the front and drums at the rear, unless fitted with the optional Anti-Lock Braking system which had vented discs all round.

Mechanically the car is related to both the Paseo and the Starlet, sharing similar floorpans, suspension, steering and brakes.

Design

Body

A closer side view on the butterfly door Toyota Sera butterfly doors.jpg
A closer side view on the butterfly door
Rear view with one butterfly door opened up Sera rear view.jpg
Rear view with one butterfly door opened up
Sera with the optional Super-Live Sound System in "Casual Mode" Sera SLSS Casual Mode.jpg
Sera with the optional Super-Live Sound System in "Casual Mode"

The Toyota Sera is a 3-door hatchback coupe of monocoque steel construction. The Sera's butterfly doors are hinged at the top center of the windscreen, and bottom of the A pillar and open forward and up in a manner similar to the McLaren F1 and Saleen S7 - the McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray cited the Sera as the inspiration of the F1's door arrangement. [3] The weight of each door is primarily supported by a thick gas strut and counterbalanced by a smaller secondary strut inside the door.

Unlike conventional hinged side-opening doors, the butterfly doors can be opened fully in a fairly confined space, requiring only 43 cm (17 in) of lateral clearance. The Sera features windows that curve upward into the 'glass roof' section of the vehicle.

The rear hatch is constructed of a single piece of glass without a supporting steel frame. This, in combination with a steeply sloping front windscreen and glass upper-door/roof panels (a total of six separate glass pieces overall), gives the Sera its distinctive canopy and provides expansive visibility, although the thick B-pillar create a significant blind spot, especially on the driver's side. To deal with its high solar load, air-conditioning and twin removable interior roof panels are standard.

Interior

Front bucket seats feature three point seatbelts and can tilt and slide forward to give access to the rear. The rear bench seat features a fixed central arm rest and either two or three point seatbelts.

In its normal interior configuration (with the back seats up and the parcel shelf in place) the rear cargo area does have a noticeably small opening (52 cm by 82 cm) and an elevated lip necessitating the lifting of luggage quite high before it can be placed inside. However the boot (trunk) is relatively deep and spacious. In addition the rear seats fold down and both the parcel shelf and the rear divider panel (usually in place behind the back seats) can be completely removed, in essence turning the entire rear half of the car into a cargo area. As such the Toyota Sera has a large amount of available storage space for its size. The space-saving spare tire and changing kit are contained in a small compartment below the boot floor.

Other features

The Sera/EXY-10 was one of the first cars to feature projector headlights (though the 1988 AXV-II concept model featured conventional headlights).

Phases

Toyota produced the Sera in three distinct trim variants, with either manual or automatic transmission, standard or ABS brakes and regular stereo or Super-Live Sound System ("SLSS") forming the three major choices for buyers. There were also a large number of additional factory options available across the entire production run.

Phase I (March 1990 – May 1991)

The initial build and the majority of the Sera's total production (around 12,000 of the 15,852 or so cars produced) featured:

Phase II (May 1991 – June 1992)

Around 2,300 cars of this second trim were produced featuring:

Phase III (June 1992 – December 1995)

1,550 of the final version of the Sera were manufactured, featuring:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Celica</span> Sports car by Toyota, 1970 to 2006

The Toyota Celica is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word coelica meaning heavenly or celestial. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to Toyota Corolla Store dealer chain. Produced across seven generations, the Celica was powered by various four-cylinder engines, and body styles included convertibles, liftbacks, coupés and notchback coupés.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Supra</span> Sports car and grand tourer manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation

The Toyota Supra is a sports car and grand tourer manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation beginning in 1978. The name "supra" is derived from the Latin prefix, meaning "above", "to surpass" or "go beyond".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota AE86</span> Motor vehicle

The AE86 series of the Toyota Corolla Levin and Toyota Sprinter Trueno are small, front-engine/rear-wheel-drive models within the front-engine/front-wheel-drive fifth generation Corolla (E80) range—marketed by Toyota from 1983 to 1987 in coupé and liftback configurations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Soarer</span> Personal luxury car/grand tourer made by Toyota

The Toyota Soarer is a personal luxury GT coupé produced from 1981 to 2005 by Toyota and sold in Japan. It was available at both Japanese Toyota dealerships called Toyota Store and Toyopet Store, and it debuted with the Z10 series, replacing the Toyopet Store exclusive Mark II coupé, the Toyota Auto Store exclusive Chaser coupé, and both the Toyota Store exclusive Crown coupé and Carina coupé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazda Persona</span> Motor vehicle

The Mazda Persona is a mid-sized, front-wheel drive, four-door hardtop sedan produced by Mazda in Japan from November 1988 to December 1991, and sold both within its main range and under its upscale Eunos brand, as the Eunos 300. It is a rebodied Capella/626 with more luxurious equipment. The Persona was Mazda's answer to the Toyota Carina ED, Nissan Presea, and Mitsubishi Emeraude — Japanese sedans that attempted to capture the pillarless hardtop look and proportion of large American sedans. Transposed onto a smaller Japanese sedan, this proportion often led to a small, low cabin in context of longer front and rear ends. It was replaced by the ɛ̃fini MS-8 in March 1992, after Persona stocks had run out. The car was only offered new in the domestic Japanese market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Previa</span> Multi-purpose vehicle (MPV)

The Toyota Previa, also known as the Toyota Estima in Japan, and Toyota Tarago in Australia, is a minivan that was produced by Toyota from 1990 until October 2019 across three generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Chaser</span> Mid-size luxury performance car

The Toyota Chaser is a mid-size car produced by Toyota. In the beginning, Chasers were four-door sedans and hardtop sedans; a two-door coupé was available only for the first generation. It was introduced on the Toyota Mark II (X30) platform and was only available at Japanese Toyota Auto Store dealerships as their top-level model. The Chaser was produced for six generations; production ceased in 2001 when both it and the Cresta were replaced by the short-lived Verossa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Kijang</span> Pickup truck / station wagon model from Toyota

The Toyota Kijang is a series of pickup trucks, station wagons and light commercial vehicles produced and marketed mainly in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India and South Africa by Toyota between 1976 and 2007 under various other names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Comfort</span> Motor vehicle

The Toyota Comfort and the long-wheelbase Toyota Crown Comfort are a line of mid-size sedans produced by Toyota between 1995 and 2018. A platform derivative of the Toyota Mark II (X80), the Comfort was aimed at fleet buyers with a primary focus on taxicab operators. A third model was released in 2001 as the 11th generation Crown Sedan for the Japanese market only. The Crown Sedan was also aimed at fleet buyers, as a high end taxi or for corporate use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Belta</span> Motor vehicle

The Toyota Belta, referred to in North American and Australian markets as the Yaris and in Asian markets as the Vios, is a subcompact sedan manufactured by Toyota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancia Lybra</span> Motor vehicle

The Lancia Lybra is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed by Fiat's premium division, Lancia between 1998 and 2005, based on the Alfa Romeo 156 floorpan, and replacing the Dedra in Lancia's range. Like the Dedra, the Lybra was available as a Berlina (saloon) or a Station Wagon (estate). A total of 164,660 were made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renault Mégane RS</span> High performance version of the Renault Mégane

The Renault Mégane Renault Sport is a series of high-performance hatchback models based on the Renault Mégane, produced since 2004 by the high-performance subsidiary company Renault Sport for its parent company Alpine, a subsidiary of Renault. The Mégane RS won awards such as "Best hot hatch" from What car? (2010–2014), "Highest placed non-supercar" in Evo's annual Car of the Year test 2011 and "Best hot hatch" from Top Gear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota LiteAce</span> Car model

The Toyota LiteAce and TownAce are a line of light commercial and derivative passenger vans produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. These vehicles originally utilized the cab-over-engine configuration, although since 1996 a semi-cab-over arrangement has featured instead. The LiteAce launched in 1970 as light-duty truck, with commercial and van/wagon body variants added in 1971. In 1976, Toyota released the larger TownAce van/wagon that derived from the LiteAce; a TownAce truck arrived later in 1978. Between 1982 and 1992, the series accommodated the MasterAce Surf—an upscale TownAce passenger wagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Cresta</span> Mid-size luxury car

The Toyota Cresta is a mid-size luxury car built by Toyota. It was launched in 1980 and shared the chassis with the Mark II/Cressida and Chaser and was the top-level car at Japanese dealership Toyota Vista Store. The Cresta was produced for five generations, and production stopped in 2001 when it was merged with the Chaser to form the short-lived Verossa. The goal of the Cresta was to offer a more luxurious package than the Mark II, while the Chaser was the performance-oriented version of the same platform, but sold at different dealerships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG</span> Car model

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a front mid-engine, 2-seater, limited production sports car developed by the Mercedes-AMG division of German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, with the assistance of David Coulthard. The car is the successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and was described by Mercedes-Benz as a spiritual successor to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, mainly because it was inspired by the latter. SLS stands for "Super Leicht Sport".

Toyota Concept Vehicles produced between 1980 and 1989 include:

Toyota Concept Vehicles produced between 1990 and 1999 include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota 86</span> Japanese sports car

The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ are 2+2 sports cars jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren 570S</span> Sports car

The McLaren 570S is a sports car designed and manufactured by the British car manufacturer McLaren Automotive, produced from 2015 until 2021. It was unveiled at the 2015 New York International Auto Show.

References

  1. 1 2 "Affiliates (Toyota wholly-owned subsidiaries)-Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc". Toyota Motor Corporation. 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
  2. 1 2 "Toyota Sera". 75 Years of Toyota. Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  3. Pollard, Tim (2012-07-06). "Twelve things you may not know about the McLaren F1". Car Magazine. Lynchwood, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK: Bauer Media Limited. Retrieved 2012-08-11.