High Performanece Toyota Avalon On The Way?

In perhaps one of the more shocking stories to have hit the newswire this past week comes a report from Autoblog that Toyota is actually investing time and effort into the design and possible production of a high performance edition of the Toyota Avalon.  The Avalon, which is typically thought of as the full-size sedan of choice amongst older buyers uninterested in shelling out for a Lexus, was redesigned for the 2013 model year in order to give it more interesting looks without sacrificing its spacious interior.

It would now seem that the 2013 Toyota Avalon will also be offering a distinctly improved driving experience over past editions.  Toyota will be bringing three specially-prepared concept Avalons to the SEMA show in Las Vegas this coming fall in an effort to gauge audience reaction to the idea of an performance-oriented family car from the brand.  A supercharger is in the cards for at least one of these concepts, thanks to in-house tuner TRD, and while styling won't be over the top it will definitely move past the smooth lines of the 2013 model an offer the eye a little extra something in a bid to hold the attention of younger drivers.

The Toyota Avalon hits dealers in short order, with deliveries expected to begin before the winter.  Autoblog pegs any high performance Avalon to be at least a year away from joining its siblings.  Given that the current edition of the car features 268 horsepower, it would be reasonable to expect 300 ponies from a supercharged model, with 325 horsepower a more realistic mark to really make a splash in the full-size segment.