Toyota Motor Corp., hoping to carve a bigger share out of the expanding minivan market, on Monday released the new Sienta minivan in Japan.

The seven-seat vehicle, which comes with an engine displacement of 1,500cc, features flexible seat arrangements and boasts fuel efficiency of 19 km per liter, among the best in its class, company officials said.

While domestic sales of compact cars have been sluggish in recent months, the automaker hopes the Sienta will cultivate new customers, Toyota President Fujio Cho said.