The future of the Toyota Avensis , a stalwart of the Japanese automaker in the middle class , is in jeopardy. The popular model will not get a hybrid variant , and since Toyota plans to offer a hybrid version of every model sold in Europe by 2020, the result is a fairly clear equation…
“Are we planning to launch a hybrid Avensis? No. Are we planning to launch a mid-range hybrid model in the next 5-7 years? Definitely yes," says Didier Leroy , head of Toyota's European division. According to Leroy, the question to be asked is whether it is better to develop a European saloon and estate similar to the Avensis , which is the brand's only British-built model, or whether it is better to offer a global model .
This question is particularly important if we look at the state of the middle class in Europe . Even in 2011, according to IHS, 800,000 cars of this class were sold in Western Europe, but this year the numbers will fall below 500,000 cars sold. Customers are increasingly buying more luxurious models or popular crossovers . This of course has an impact on the Avensis as well, because so far in 2010 Toyota has sold over 55,000 Avensis in Western Europe, this year it will not even be 30,000. In addition, only 36,482 Avensis were produced in the British factory last year (it is good to say that elsewhere than in You can't buy an Avensis in Europe), on the other hand, the production of Auris reached 143,000 units , of which over 62,000 were in the hybrid variant.
The solution could be the introduction of the Toyota Camry , which is already sold in the US and of course is available in a hybrid version , combining a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. In any case, another of the big Japanese names in the once popular mid-range market will disappear from the European market. Nissan already killed the Primera in 2008, Toyota will probably launch the Avensis soon, and according to unconfirmed information, we won't see a successor to the Honda Accord after 2015 either.
Source: europe.autonews.com
