Toyota Sienta Welcab launched in Indonesia – first outside Japan?

PT Astra Toyota Motor, Toyota’s Indonesian distributor, has launched the Sienta Welcab in Indonesia. This marks the first time Toyota’s assisted-mobility vehicle was offered officially outside of Japan.

The Indonesian-spec Sienta Welcab is powered by the same 1.5-litre 2NR-FE engine as the rest of the Sienta line-up as well as the Malaysian-spec Vios and Yaris. That engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or a CVT.

One of the major features that stand out in the Sienta Welcab is of course the rear seat, which can be rotated and slide out to ease access for those who are wheelchair-bound or are mobility disabled.

While the Sienta is the sole model in Indonesia to have the Welcab model, in Japan, there are numerous Welcab models ranging from the Yaris to the Prius to even the Alphard.

Toyota had made some assisted-mobility vehicles since the 1970s beginning with the Toyota Townace van. The Welcab name was first introduced in 1998. In July of that year, Toyota opened the Toyota Heartful Plaza in Tokyo which gave customers a chance to see and try the range of Welcab models.

The name Welcab itself is a combination of ‘well’, ‘welcome’, and ‘welfare’ with ‘cabin’. This feature isn’t only available for passengers but also drivers too.

Toyota developed the Friend-matic which allows drivers to control the acceleration and braking with their hands in place of their feet. It was first introduced in the KE70 Corolla and Sprinter in 1981.

The current Friend-matic cars, which are the Prius and Alpha also comes with a roof box that helps to store the driver’s wheelchair. Though it was never imported officially, Welcab models have made their way into Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia via grey imports.

As for the Sienta, UMW Toyota has stopped selling it in Malaysia due to poor sales. A facelift model was launched in 2019 for the Thai and Indonesian markets.