
In 2006, a Royal Lounge Alphard was introduced. The Alphard was facelifted in 2005 with new design of rear lamp and use of 16" and 17" aluminium alloy wheels. The Alphard V was exclusive to the Netz Store, while the Alphard G has a different grille design and was exclusive to Toyopet Store. The Alphard was launched by Toyota in May 2002. The name "Vellfire" was derived from "velvet" and "fire" to emphasize "smooth" and "passionate" as characteristics of the vehicle. The Alphard also received a special front emblem, which depicts the lowercase alpha letter. The vehicle was named after Alphard, the brightest star in the constellation Hydra. Since 2019, a modified version of the third-generation model has been sold as the Lexus LM for several Asian markets outside Japan. Since the second generation, a twin model called Toyota Vellfire ( Japanese: トヨタ・ヴェルファイア, Hepburn: Toyota Verufaia) has also been available, which is marketed as a sportier alternative to the Alphard and exclusively marketed by the Netz Store dealership chain until 2020. Similar to the Camry, it is often classified as a luxury car in Southeast Asian markets. The Alphard is primarily made for the Japanese market, but is also sold in Bangladesh, Belarus, Russia, the Middle East, Greater China, and Southeast Asia. Hybrid variants have been available since 2003, which incorporates Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. It is available as a seven or eight-seater with petrol and hybrid engine options. The Toyota Alphard ( Japanese: トヨタ・アルファード, Hepburn: Toyota Arufādo) is a minivan produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota since 2002.
