GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Keep in mind that in previous years, the Solara's sales weren't as spectacular. Even if it was lumped into the Camry's numbers, it would only add maybe 10k units, which is very little compared to the Camry's yearly 280-300k. The Venza should have no reason to be lumped together either considering it's just based off of the Camry, but is differently inside and out. The Crossturd is practically an Accord but in wagon/uglier form.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

It wouldn't be such a bad idea to stick a CE model in there for fleet sales. I'm sure they'll sell like crazy, plus some people want the most basic functionality (manual locks and window). Crazy as it sound, there are those out there who still wants them

memasterac

The current Camry is the best looking mid-size FWD sedan in the US... to me at least. It's interesting how people easily forget what ugly is, the current Accord. It only make sense to me if the Accoed is the one to drop its sales.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

^^ Yet it hasn't really dropped at all. There are as many buyers for Accord as there are for Camry. The name Camry and Accord has become a household name so no matter how good looking or goofy they are, they'll sell.

GS69

Toyota Aiming to Make Prius America's Best Selling Car

With more ups and downs on its popularity chart than most celebrities, the Toyota Prius has certainly had an interesting history – but a Toyota executive has revealed that the company wants its hybrid-electric nameplate to be the top selling car in the United States in just nine years.

“We will end the decade with Prius being the number one nameplate in the industry,” Bob Carter, Toyota’s group vice president for U.S. sales, told analysts during a conference call yesterday.

Carter said that Toyota doesn’t aim to grow Prius sales by cannibalizing its popular Camry lineup.

“[Camry] will be a close 2nd, and that’s not because there will be a drop in Camry sales,” Carter said during the call.

All automakers are expected to announce their 2010 sales figures later today, and while the Camry will almost certainly show up on the top 10 list, the Prius will undoubtedly be absent – even though analysts say that December could have been of the hybrid’s strongest months ever.

The Prius was slow to gain momentum when the boxy 1st-generation sedan was launched in the United States in 2000, but the 5-door hatchback that was released a few years later saw sales take off. Priuses were in such high demand in 2008 and 2009 that long waiting lists and industry-leading resale values were the norm. By mid-2010, however, sales seemed to have leveled off. Through the end of November, Toyota sold 125,289 Priuses in the U.S., down around 2% from the year before and still more than 170,000 units shy of the automaker’s Camry sedan.

The growth plan
Don’t look for just a 5-door hybrid-electric hatchback to grow Prius sales on its own. Toyota is set to launch an MPV version of its Prius in just under a week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the automaker has already indicated that more vehicles bearing a Prius badge will be introduced in the near future.

Toyota will probably group all of its Prius models together as one sub brand, a controversial move that echoes its decision to count Scion sales under the Toyota banner, not as their own sub brand. The Japanese automaker also considers its Matrix 5-door hatchback to be a variation of the Corolla. As such, Toyota doesn’t break out the 2 models individually when it reports sales figures.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Surely a possibility, especially if gas prices skyrocket in the next few years. Who knows how astronomical gas prices will be by 2020.

Prius is doing the proper steps to be more encompassing. The MPV and plug-in-hybrid variants will expand its desirability in the market. It would be nice to see a Prius coupe as a design study (the option would be nice to create a sporty-looking coupe variant).

I'm still not sold on the idea of a sportier Prius. Toyota doesn't need a CR-Zzzz competitor. The CT200h works because, unlike the CR-Zzzz, it can seat five passengers, has a good amount of cargo space, and its technological prowess is luxury-grade.

LexFather

I'm confused does he think the Prius 5 door will do that or will the Prius BRAND do that? While the Prius is a great car I think there are a lot of people that just hate the Prius and its image and that prevents sales.

Not sure if the Prius would ever be #1 here.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

A better goal would be getting the Camry Hybrid to be number #1, at least in America.

TRDFantasy

I think it's clear he means the Prius brand/nameplate. I think Toyota could do it, if they offer a wide range of models within the Prius nameplate. It could easily become the Ford F-Series of hybrids so to speak.

When most people think hybrid, they think Prius so this is a good move that just further strengthens the Prius brand/nameplate.

Rock-a-Lex

iTrader: (4)

It tell you my wife and I just leased a '11 Honda Accord EX...for the money it is a NICE car! Our payments are $133/mo for 30 mos only requiring $1500 down and taxes/tags/DMV etc etc which totalled to about $2600 bucks; still a good deal IMHO considering the sticker price on this one was ~$25,200.

Peppy 4cyl with 190hp, moonroof, power everything, wood grain trim, heated mirrors and 6 in-dash CD changer. It rides pretty good too! We got rid of the wife's '07 Acura TSX (which was $415/mo) to save some money with the baby on the way; wife not going to be working for a while. The Camry's just seemed a little too "old looking" for us.

gemigniani

Toyota is losing market share for exactly the same reasons GM did in the 80's and 90's:
1) Cheap looking and feeling interiors
2) Declining reliability and durability
3) Mechanicals too complicated for owners to service themselves
4) Skyrocketing prices

The next generation Camry will not solve any of these serious problems, hence Camry will lose it's top spot just like the Chevy Impala and Olds Cultlass did in the 80's and 90's.

mmarshall

IF the Camry ever gives up its #1 title (and that title doesn't go back to the Honda Accord), my educated guess is that it will probably go to the Hyundai Sonata, even though I don't like the new re-design as much as its predessors. Sonata sales have grown enormously in the last several years, and show no sign of abating.

mmarshall

In general, you're correct, though not all new Toyotas have the recent El Cheapo interior problems. The new Highlander is impressive inside (particularly the Limited), and the Land Cruiser, IMO, is not only built like a tank but has a high-quality interior as well.

mmarshall

I'm not terribly impressed with the design of the new Sonata, but I agree that it probably stands the best chance of any car of knocking the Camry off the #1 perch....perhaps even more than the Accord (see my post #53 above). The Sonata is well-built, reasonably-priced, has decent driving/road manners, is growing by leaps and bounds in sales, and, of course, has the long warranty. It is virtually everything the Camry was in its heyday (back in the 90's), with a longer warranty to boot. It does (currently) lack a smooth V6 powerplant, but that doesn't seem to be holding up its sales much...and does (now) offer a turbo-4 and hybrid version.

C. McHale

I have no love for the current Camry, but how can you make a prediction like this about the new Camry when no one has seen it yet? You don't know if it will have a poor interior or less-than-stellar reliability/durability. No one knows yet.

However, the new Camry WILL have to be a homerun design for Toyota, inside and out, or it will lose its top spot--and I don't think Toyota is blind to this.