Toyota is on the move for 2012 with plans for 19 new models
Japanese automaker Toyota is on a serious mission in 2012. New models are coming down the pike this year, 19 of them across the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands, including a new, improved and greener Avalon and reportedly, an all-electric RAV4.
Toyota general manager Bob Carter who spoke at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention this past weekend informed the attendees of his company's ambitious launches. He also gave dealers a sneak peek of the Avalon, sharing some pictures of the entry-level luxe vehicle that will make its splash in April at the New York auto show.
According to the company's spokespeople at the NADA event, the Avalon will also be full-sized with fuel economy that is pretty comparable to a Fiat 500, which gets 30/38 mpg city/highway and 33 mpg combined driving with a five-speed manual transmission. A fuel-cell concept was also teased.
Carter, told the Detroit Free Press that 40% of the brand's volume will be from new products this year compared to 7% last year. He is also pretty optimistic as far as sales estimates and predicts, that the 2012 U.S. auto sales of 13.6 million are a smidge on the low side, and expects industry-wide sales to easily reach 13.8 million for new vehicles sold.
Toyota has been through some turbulent times as of late that resulted in the car manufacturer's being knocked off its global top spot due to safety recalls galore and the impact of the March 11 earthquake/tsunami, and flooding in Thailand which hit supply chains. It's finally nice to see that the company has weathered the storms and will continue to aim BIG!
"Oh what a feeling!"
--Car Chick
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