Toyota 31ft Flybridge WTF!

[Hugin]

Ponam-31 is likely to be a big seller in Japan, with Toyota's 49-strong local dealer network expected to shift 15 units per year.

Surprised that Toyota is producing something like this, but somehow I'm not terribly impressed........ if 15 units/year is what the Japanese home market can carry for a "big seller" then Toyota should look elsewhere for buyers.... especially since it's quite impressive to build a 5,6tons 34ft aluminium hulled flybridge with two 256hp diesels and stern drives; offering it all for reasonable £160.000 (ex. tax)

Yes, I wrote 34ft.... not 31ft. According to Toyota's own website the boat is almost 35ft. With little pulpit overhang and modest platform, this would make it a proper 34ft or at least 33ft.

Does anyone know if Toyota marinize the engines themselves? Nanni uses the same block for the 200-265hp versions it offers, but the engines Toyota shows on their Japanese website are not painted blue.

If Toyota is trying to enter the leisure boat market why don't they start with engines (as Hyundai has done)..... they have enough of their own produce to nicely cover the lightweight diesel market up to at least 350hp

 

[Jack Haines]

Story and some video here: http://www.mby.com/news/537443/toyota-launches-ponam-31-flybridge-in-japan

 

[rafiki_]

This looks a really nice job to me from Jack's video. More than a hint of "Fisher" about the style, but of course, the Japanese are heavily into fishing. Sounds like quite a good price, but if car pricing is anything to go by, it will be over £200k if it ever hits these shores.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I may be wrong, but wasn't this reported on here a few years back? Or maybe it was a different Japanese manufacturer.

 

[ChrisJefferies]

Truth be told, Toyota have been at this since 1997. Here's MBM's write-up in 2011: http://www.motorboatsmonthly.co.uk/news/529647/the-boat-in-front-is-a-toyota