NCZ20 1.5

STORY

Toyota released the Raum on 20 May 1997, a 1.5-litre tall wagon for Japan built on Tercel and Corsa underpinnings but standing more than 150 mm higher than those saloons, with sliding doors on both sides, a flat floor, column shift and a side-hinged tailgate. Central Motor assembled the EXZ10, and Toyota Auto Store dealers sold it, the chain that had become Netz Toyota Store by the facelift of 2 August 1999. The launch engine was a 1,500 cc twin-cam rated 94 PS, and a 91 PS four-wheel-drive version arrived in August 1997. The second Raum, NCZ20, followed on 12 May 2003 with universal design as its brief: the front passenger door carried the centre pillar, so opening it together with the power slider gave a 1,500 mm aperture, and the spare wheel cover used Toyota Eco-Plastic from plant lactic acid, a first on a car. Toyota listed no Raum after it, and the line closed in March 2011.