The Halo - 1996-2004 Auxio SV
The one to aspire to
The SV gran tourer or personal luxury coupe was introduced in the 1995 North American Auto Show for the 1995 model year. The SV was meant to be Auxio’s halo car. This the dream, rear-wheel-drive, big-engined, 2-door coupe that can be driven for miles without a problem in the world. This Auxio is also the first one to not have a Tanaka rebadge, although people considered the SV and the Tanaka Courser to be similar, that is true to some extent in the SV300 Vitesse, using the same engine. Chassis was also the same, but interior and exterior are way different. The SV was sold in North America, Europe, Middle-East and some parts of Asia (only for Hong-Kong and Japan). In Japan, these are sold through import dealers like the foreign automakers due to not having a Tanaka variant, not having an Auxio dealer, and does not abide with the 276HP gentleman’s agreement.
Its design are inspired by the traditional ideal coupe design, long front bonnet and a quote-unquote “short” cabin. The graphic features are consistently smooth, with an uncluttered clean front and rear fascias, but adding key lines such as the bottom-half body line running all over the car to add depth to its design.
Smooth yet powerful and effortless
The SV has 3 engine options. The SV300 uses a naturally-aspirated 3 litre Inline 6 producing 251HP and 204lb-ft of torque for a smooth power delivery. But if you feel the need for more power, you can step up to the SV300 Vitesse, equipped with a turbocharged 3 litre Inline 6 producing 336HP and 321lb-ft of torque. But if you want the ultimate SV, go for the SV500 or SV500 Luxury, both equipped with a naturally-aspirated 5 litre V8 producing 377HP and 346lb-ft of torque. All versions can be equipped with either a 5-speed advanced automatic transmission or the traditional 6-speed manual transmission.
Tailored to Your Needs
The SV comes in 4 different variations, the SV300, SV300 Vitesse and the top-of-the-line SV500. Tap on the column below to see its standard features and its optional extras.
SV300
The SV300 is the base-model of the SV lineup. Standard features includes a viscous limited slip rear differential, 16-inch 9-spoke alloy rims with medium compound tires, 4-wheel solid-disk brakes, an interior made of high-quality luxury genuine leather with orthopedic luxury leather heated seats with adjustable side bolsters, a premium 4-speaker system with premium AM/FM radio and premium CD player. Variable hydraulic power steering is standard. Of course in an Auxio, ABS and traction control is standard. Adaptive dampers are standard to suit any of your driving style.
[SV300 with manual transmission]
0-60mph in 6.91s
Top speed of 159mph
Starting from $42500 (in 1995)
[Optional extras]
Vitesse rear spoiler (+$450)
SV300 Vitesse
Vitesse means rapid, and the SV300 is definitely rapid. Like mentioned, the engine is a turbocharged version of the standard SV300’s engine. Other than that, it includes everything from the SV300 but adds 17-inch 2-tone 9-spoke alloy wheels (or an optional 5-spoke two-tone alloy wheels like on the SV500), sport compound tires to handle the large increase in power, vented disk brakes, additional underside cladding to improve aerodynamics, BOSE speakers with subwoofer with luxury AM/FM radio and CD player, semi-active sway bars, memory function for seats, an additional rear spoiler and fog lights.
[SV300 Vitesse with manual transmission]
0-60mph in 5.7s
Top speed of 183mph
Starting from $49000 (in 1995)
[Optional extras]
Optional SV500 two-tone 5-spoke alloy wheels (+$600)
Chrome mirror covers (+$250)
SV500
The SV500 for many people is the go-to version of the SV as it has the most powerful engine and its very high increase in top speed from the SV300 Vitesse. The SV500 includes everything from the SV300 Vitesse, but adds Auxio’s AAA system (to be explained later), 17-inch 2-tone 5-spoke wheels with wider sport compound tires, chrome mirror covers, and 4-piston front brakes instead of 3-piston of the SV300 Vitesse.
[SV500 with manual transmission]
0-60mph 5.47s
Top speed of 191mph
Starting from $57500 (in 1995)
[Optional extras]
Air suspension system (+$900)
Aluminium mirror covers (+$300)
Body-coloured mirror covers (+$150)
Black brake calipers (+$250)
Red brake calipers (+$250)
SV500 Luxury
The SV500 Luxury was available from 1997-2000. It includes everything from the SV500, but adds 17-inch 11-spoke chrome alloy wheels, an ESC system (only available on this trim), ultra-high quality hand-made and hand-stitched interior and seats with massaging function, and an air suspension system to further increase its safety. This is an extremely rare trim as it is a very extreme price increase from the normal SV500.
[SV500 Luxury]
0-60mph in 5.95s
Top speed of 174mph (electronically-limited)
Starting from $70900 (in 1997)
AAA - Auxio Active Aero
Have you wondered how our SV500 is able to achieve its 191mph top speed? Well this is the answer. Carefully designed and engineered by our best engineers, we are able to achieve both high downforce and low drag on the SV500. AAA consists of 2 items, an active retractable front splitter and an 3-stage active retractable rear wing. How it works is that AAA deploys at 70mph, exposing its front splitter to suck air and create vacuum to allow more downforce, and its rear wing at its second-stage (low-downforce stage). Then when the SV reaches 90mph, its rear wing goes into its third-stage (high downforce) to maximize downforce, especially useful for cornering. However this stage also creates a lot of drag, so at 155mph, the rear wing goes back to its second-stage to create a fine balance between downforce and drag. This allows the SV500 to have the stability and low-drag to achieve 191mph. When braking, the rear wing always goes to its third-stage to produce as much drag as possible, acting as an air brake. This only works if the vehicle brakes from speed of 70mph or more. Finally at standstill, all its AAA system has been retracted, its front splitter goes up to the bodywork and the rear wing goes down to its first-stage to flow with the body shape. However, there is a track mode that allows the AAA to be at its most aggressive stage at all times. This is only recommended for sporty or track driving as it impacts fuel economy by a lot. This AAA system is our testament and commitment of building the best cars in the world.
Success
While sales are way smaller than the AQ and AL sedans, the SV is definitely successful in its own way, becoming Auxio’s halo car and many people’s dream car. Sales-wise, it also sold more successfully that its Tanaka Courser cousin due to its brand prestige and price justification. The SV soon appeared in pop culture, more prominently hip-hop, mentioned in lyrics and seen in music videos, and in the 2000s, games such as Midnight Club 3 and Need For Speed Most Wanted. The SV had become a status symbol for the wealthy in the 90s and 2000s.
