Toyota Noah arrives after flood of demand

The popular seven-seater was previously available only through parallel importers

- Lee Nian Tjoe

Square rooms: The boxy Toyota Noah has a very spacious cabin.

(ST PHOTOS: GAVIN FOO)

Nearly three years after the Toyota Noah was launched in Japan, the mid-sized multi-seater is finally available in Singapore through its official distributor. Previously, the popular multipurpose vehicle (MPV) was brought in only through parallel importers.

So strong is the demand for the Noah that when parallel importers here faced a delay in shipment earlier on, sales of its closest rival, the Nissan Serena, supposedly surged to pick up the slack.

Japanese carmakers have a habit of keeping some models exclusively for their home market. Some of these cars inadvertently end up being sold outside the home country by savvy parallel importers.

When these models do succeed here, the local authorised dealer will lobby hard to offer them officially. Once in a while, the carmakers relent, which seems to be the case with the Noah.

The question is whether the Noah is still a relevant model today, or has Toyota missed the boat?

The official version looks similar to the Noah S-G edition sold in Japan. The front bumper is a bit fancier than the basic X version, available through some parallel importers here. The glossy black inlays and shiny chrome finishing are probably intended to make the car look more premium.