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That'd be great and all if the rest of Toyota's cars didn't also have numb handling, floaty rides, and vanilla exteriors. The average age of Toyota buyers continues to creep into AARP territory, while other brands like Buick are luring younger buyers with the LaCrosse, Enclave, and Regal. The Camry had a refresh last year that basically changed the grille and a couple other small details. Meanwhile all other competitors have done major overhauls. Same thing with the Corolla; the '09 refresh hardly changed a thing. Those are the bread and butter cars they are letting languish. Now they are resorting to fleet sales and incentives to move metal...history truly repeats itself.
First of all, you're catching these cars in the middle of their production cycle. I think in another year or two, most of Toyota's lineup is due for a redesign. You look at any car 3 or 4 years after it came out, even after a refresh, and it'll look long in the tooth. Second, most of Toyota's models do have bland exteriors and floaty rides. But that doesn't prove that Toyota is only going after older buyers. Every brand has its own distinct ride. There are plenty of young people going for the Corolla or Yaris or whatever Toyota's entry level compact is. Likewise, younger families still flock to the Camry.
Toyota created Scion for younger buyers, but the average age for Scions is in the 40s I think. Toyota just has a high consumer age average - old people really like them.
First of all, you're catching these cars in the middle of their production cycle. I think in another year or two, most of Toyota's lineup is due for a redesign. You look at any car 3 or 4 years after it came out, even after a refresh, and it'll look long in the tooth. Second, most of Toyota's models do have bland exteriors and floaty rides. But that doesn't prove that Toyota is only going after older buyers. Every brand has its own distinct ride. There are plenty of young people going for the Corolla or Yaris or whatever Toyota's entry level compact is. Likewise, younger families still flock to the Camry.
All three just had their mid-cycle enhancements. The new Camry isn't slated to debut until 2012. That's a six year product cycle...something the press used to bash Detroit automakers for. The Corolla is riding around on the same platform that was developed in 2000 and had very little updated for the MCE. A new Corolla isn't expected to arrive until 2013. That's another 3 years! The Avalon just had it's MCE for the 2011 model year, and it has been essentially unchanged since 2005. The new one won't debut until 2012-13.
The point I'm making here is that Toyota used to be the benchmark for other automakers, and now they have fallen behind. Their products are getting stale and no longer segment leaders. Avalon sales are tanking, and while Camry and Corolla still sell decently, other automakers are quickly moving in. Ford's Fusion and Chevy's Malibu continue to make double digit gains while Camry sales have essentially flattened out. Sales of the Yaris are tanking even though it is a fairly new product. The bleeding is going to be even worse when the Fiesta, 2011 Focus, and Cruze hit the streets.
There are some FWD sedans with decent driving dynamics... test a Fusion for one. But the Avalon which has them all beat on paper sucks from behind the wheel.
All three just had their mid-cycle enhancements. The new Camry isn't slated to debut until 2012. That's a six year product cycle...something the press used to bash Detroit automakers for. The Corolla is riding around on the same platform that was developed in 2000 and had very little updated for the MCE. A new Corolla isn't expected to arrive until 2013. That's another 3 years! The Avalon just had it's MCE for the 2011 model year, and it has been essentially unchanged since 2005. The new one won't debut until 2012-13.
The point I'm making here is that Toyota used to be the benchmark for other automakers, and now they have fallen behind. Their products are getting stale and no longer segment leaders. Avalon sales are tanking, and while Camry and Corolla still sell decently, other automakers are quickly moving in. Ford's Fusion and Chevy's Malibu continue to make double digit gains while Camry sales have essentially flattened out. Sales of the Yaris are tanking even though it is a fairly new product. The bleeding is going to be even worse when the Fiesta, 2011 Focus, and Cruze hit the streets.
You're still not getting it. You keep saying that Toyota is lagging behind and I just told you it only seems that way because they're in the middle of their production cycle. And your post confirms that. In 2-3 years, the Toyota models will be fresh while the Ford Fusion and Chevy Malibu will look stale.
Maybe, maybe not. The new Accord matched previous year sales during its first year, but since then its sold at 75% what the old model sold at annually. New product doesn't necessarily mean you will get better sales.
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