Toyota to offer 2013 Avalon with hybrid powertrain

The redesigned 2013 Toyota Avalon will have an optional gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain when it goes on sale this fall. The 2012 Avalon offers only the standard 3.5-liter, double-overhead-cam, V-6 gasoline engine.
With the hybrid system, the mid-sized sedan gets an EPA fuel economy rating of 40 mpg city/39 highway/40 combined, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. said in a statement today.

Reduced weight, a more aerodynamic design and transmission improvements enable models with the V-6 powertrain to achieve an EPA-rated 21 mpg city/31 highway/25 combined. The 2012 Avalon is rated at 19 mpg city/28 highway/23 combined.

Toyota says the 2013 Avalon, which will be sold mainly in North America, was designed at Calty Design Research Inc. in Newport Beach, Calif., and Ann Arbor, Mich. The car's engineering development was handled at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor. It will be built in Georgetown, Ky.

The 2013 Avalon, which is expected to go on sale in November, was revealed at the New York auto show in April.

Automotive News -- June 25, 2012 - 4:04 pm ET