2 posts tagged “automotive news”
Toyota and Subaru are combining their efforts for an
upcoming rear-wheel drive coupe. Sketches of new Subaru vehicle where released,
creating hype about the new two-door Impreza and a possible Celica replacement.
Sources inside Toyota and Subaru released artist sketches of the new coupe. Based on these initial sketches, the vehicle appears to be a sporty take on the Impreza sedan and will be compact, lightweight, and reportedly rear-wheel drive.
Potential engines for the new Toyota would be the familiar boxer engines, such as the base 175 horsepower four cylinder, or perhaps the power powerful 2.5 liter turbocharged engine.
The new Toyota coupe will not be built with Subaru's renowned four-wheel drive system - at least for now. By forgoing such a system, the new Toyota coupe will reduce weight, cost, and overall complexity, which was the strategy used on the Honda S200 release says Honda dealer Washington DC. However, with Subaru’s extensive combining of the turbo boxer engine with four wheel drive, it seems like a logical choice to combine the two.
Toyota’s new coupe could also be a potential successor to the Toyota Celica, a once strong seller at Toyota dealer St Paul, which maintained a popular following even until its demise. With the new automakers combining their efforts on this new sports car, it could be an indication that in the end the consumer will pay less for the vehicle thanks to the sharing of technology. Competing dealerships are also expecting new sports cars, such as as the next generation S2000 or Remix concept car at Honda Texarkana, to go head-to-head with this new Toyota sports car. Toyota holds an eight percent stake in Subaru.
The final design for the Toyota coupe could be approved this
summer, with production beginning in 2010. In addition to competing with sports
coupes in Japan, North America will also be a likely destination for the
vehicle.
***
Learn more about future Toyota models here.
Toyota has announced that it will be lowering its global sales goals amid slowing sales in the North American market. The growth of Toyota has slowed dramatically, but it does still plan on moderate growth. It is estimating it will enjoy 1 percent growth, but it will fall short this year compared with 2007 where the automaker grew 6 percent and sold 9.37 million vehicles.
The weak US economy, the rising cost of oil, and the increasing cost of production materials have all contributed to softening the market overall. In addition to the sluggish North American market, the Japanese and Western European markets have also slowed. With these new estimates, Toyota now plans to sell only 2.44 million vehicles globally versus the original goal of 2.64 million vehicles.
Among the highest selling vehicles includes the Toyota Camry, Corolla, and of course the Prius hybrid. Many dealers are showing strong sales of hybrids as gas prices continue to concern drivers, helping not only the Prius but also sales of Toyota’s other hybrids, such as the Camry hybrid and Highlander Hybrid. The Yaris subcompact is also a strong seller thanks to its affordable base price and high miles per gallon.
Toyota remains the world’s second largest automaker in terms of annual vehicle sales behind General Motors. Thanks in part to high gas prices, which have significantly affected buyers at Golden Valley MN Toyota, GM and other American automakers have had dismal sales quarter after quarter, and while Toyota has not been immune to weak sales it has fared much better than its American counterparts.
High mpg models have given Toyota a lineup that has produced somewhat steady sales and emerging markets have been particularly good to Toyota. Markets such as Russia, China, and Indian have all helped offset losses in North America. Although Toyota remains a top seller in Japan, the market there has slowed considerably which has also added to losses. Among the changes at Toyota has included changes in truck and SUV production which has been necessary says dealers at Minnesota Toyota Dealer whose stock of trucks has sold slower recently. Already production of trucks has been reduced to better align production with demand.
While other automakers, particularly GM, have been losing billions of dollars, Toyota’s profits have actually been increasing at Toyota Dealer St Paul and other Toyota and Scion dealers all over the country. But as the auto market enters a period of declining sales across the board, especially in North America, those profits may begin to decrease.
***
Look for more Toyota sales informaiton as it becomes available.
