Toyota Debuts Auto Access Seat for U.S. Market 2011 Sienna

Toyota chose the 2010 Detroit Show to unveil an Auto Access Seat designed for use in the all-new 2011 Sienna minivan, which goes on sale in the States in February 2010. The Auto Access Seat offers owners a transportation solution for elderly and disabled passengers or for that matter, anyone who may need assistance getting in or out of a vehicle.

The seat, which features a one-touch operation and has a lift capacity of up to 330 lbs, rotates 90 degrees and can be lowered to within 19 inches of the ground to further facilitate easier passenger transfers at the exact height required. It also allows up to four inches of slide travel and reclining of up to 24 degrees once the passenger is inside the car.

While we've seen most Japanese automakers offering this option in their domestic market models, Toyota is the first automaker in North America to offer a factory-installed, rotating, power ascending/descending lift-up seat in of its vehicles.

The Auto Access Seat will be available on Sienna LE and XLE models with the seat fabric matching the vehicle interior fabric. Toyota said that it will come with a three-year/36,000 mile factory warranty.

2011 Toyota Sienna Minivan Priced from $24,260, Starts Lower than 2009 Model But...

Toyota has supposedly announced some good news for prospective buyers of the 2011 Sienna as the company said that its all-new people carrier starts lower than the outgoing model with the entry-level model priced at $24,260 (not including a delivery, processing and handling fee of $800) or $280 less than the 2010MY.

What Toyota avoids to emphasize is that, whereas the base version of the 2011 Sienna is powered by a 187HP 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, the entry-level 2010MY Sienna features a 266HP 3.5-liter V6...

Same goes for the 2011 Sienna LE that is said to start lower at $25,345, but it also comes with a four-banger unlike the 2010MY Sienna LE V6 which is priced at $26,065. If you opt for a V6 on the 2011 Sienna LE, you'll pay $28,900.

But anyway, the third generation minivan's prices top out at $39,770 for the Limited all-wheel-drive model with a 3.5-liter V6 generating 266 horsepower.

Both engines are matched with an electronically controlled six-speed transmission with the Japanese automaker announcing an EPA-estimated fuel efficiency ratings of 19 mpg city / 26 mpg on the highway for the four cylinder model and 18 mpg city/24 mpg highway (AWD: 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway) for the V6.

Toyota said that the new Sienna will go on sale in the States in February with the arrival of V6-powered LE, XLE and Limited models, while the four-cylinder models will begin arriving at showrooms in April.