The Toyota Avalon will be put to pasture after the 2022 model year

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Time to cry. :'-(

If Toyota weren't on literal cocaine with the styling they would have continued building this car and give the Avalon the refresh in the second half of 2022.
 

JJohn341

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Really sad to hear the news. Does any body know if they will keep the Hybrid version? Or are they retiring the whole name plate?
Was looking into getting a hybrid..
 

mikeavelli

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Damn. There won’t be much anything in this segment
If anything at all.
 

Sulu

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Too bad but it is not surprising. No one is shopping for full size sedans any more so it becomes uneconomical to keep it. Cancelling the model leaves room on the assembly line for something else that does sell, presumably the RAV4 Hybrid.
 
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2021 is already the last year of the Avy TRD, but wow, this new one will barely make it to four years...actually they probably will keep making them for China and perhaps a few more markets where they don't incentivize them and finish production off that way.
 
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b.ba

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Pure speculation on my end of things, but Toyota did trademark the Crown nameplate. I know it's counterintuitive to replace a more cost efficient FWD sedan with a luxury RWD sedan; food for thought.
 

mikeavelli

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As I think about it, the original Avalon filled the gap for families who wanted more space. There was even a 6 seat bench option. Toyota only had the truck based 4 runner which was right and the expensive land cruiser.

Fast forward to today and the Highlander replaced the Avalon. You get more room, 7 seats and the vehicles drive similar. Big comfy fwd cars in this segment didn’t stand a chance as a cuv just makes more logical sense. I think Toyota tried to fight it with the TRD but no one really asked for it (a product I love).
Dead
Avalon
Lacross
Impala
Rlx
Continental

all large fwd sedans replaced by cuvs.

The Avalon was good for its run. It just isn’t really needed anymore.

I do wonder, for someone that refuses to get a cuv, where do they go? I guess the ES makes the most sense and consolidation here helps the ES.
 

ssun30

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It's actually a good thing as it frees up more capacity for ES. The global chips shortage is now expected to last till 2023 so trimming the lineup is necessary.

On this side of the Pacific they have no problem selling 100k a year. But the chip shortage is beginning to hit Toyota. Now monthly sales is down to 3000 (-80% from peak) because they can't produce any.
 
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It's actually a good thing as it frees up more capacity for ES. The global chips shortage is now expected to last till 2023 so trimming the lineup is necessary.

On this side of the Pacific they have no problem selling 100k a year. But the chip shortage is beginning to hit Toyota. Now monthly sales is down to 3000 (-80% from peak) because they can't produce any.

It still will be for sale in China as apparently demand is high.

I do think that if it wasn't for that horrendous face that the Avalon would've stayed.
 

Gecko

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As I think about it, the original Avalon filled the gap for families who wanted more space. There was even a 6 seat bench option. Toyota only had the truck based 4 runner which was right and the expensive land cruiser.

Fast forward to today and the Highlander replaced the Avalon. You get more room, 7 seats and the vehicles drive similar. Big comfy fwd cars in this segment didn’t stand a chance as a cuv just makes more logical sense. I think Toyota tried to fight it with the TRD but no one really asked for it (a product I love).
This is a really great point (y)
 

maiaramdan

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RIP AVALON
I always like it much more than the ES

And I still do!

As I said from 7 years ago on this website
Toyota killed Mark-X, Avalon, Crown & GS
Just for only 1 name the nasty ES


RIP Toyota Sedan !
 

ssun30

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One reason the Avalon succeeded in China (other than the market's obsession with large sedans) is product positioning. Because of the FAW/GAC two-car strategy, Avalon is not above Camry/Accord but as a direct competitor at very similar price. FAW still charges more for the same trim options but that's true for all their products vs. GAC. For the same reason Nissan Maxima lives on as Cima (not related to JDM Cima).
 

Adrian

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RIP Avalon, but since the Camry was placed below the Toyota hierarchy does that mean Toyota will give the next gen Camry as long as the Avalon and put all their bells and whistles in the next gen Camry?
 

mmcartalk

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If Toyota weren't on literal cocaine with the styling they would have continued building this car and give the Avalon the refresh in the second half of 2022.
Yep......agreed. Toyota and Lexus have been doing front ends for years now that IMO are nothing short of grotesque. Sometimes, with popular vehicles like the ES and RX, it doesn't hurt sales that bad. But it proved fatal to the less-popular Avalon.

But, in all honesty, one can't just blame an ugly front end for what happened to the Avalon. The American public just is not buying a lot of large sedans any more. Automakers are losing money just by producing them.
 

mmcartalk

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Fast forward to today and the Highlander replaced the Avalon. You get more room, 7 seats and the vehicles drive similar. Big comfy fwd cars in this segment didn’t stand a chance as a cuv just makes more logical sense. I think Toyota tried to fight it with the TRD but no one really asked for it (a product I love).
more.


TRD suspensions/underpinnings simply don't fit in with the mission of a car like the Avalon. Toyota tried giving the Avalon a sport-sedan suspension when it was redesigned in 2013, and the result was mass customer-complaints. Toyota was forced to redo and soften the suspension for the 2016 mid-cycle refresh.
I do wonder, for someone that refuses to get a cuv, where do they go? I guess the ES makes the most sense and consolidation here helps the ES.

As I also stated previously, the Chrysler 300 (if it stays in production) might (?) pick up some of the customers, as it has less-polarizing styling than the ES.....but also Chrysler's poor quality reputation.