Let’s see the projected timeline.

Venza due in fall, only in V6, 4 cylinder to follow in subsequent months.

Hybrid announcement in January.

2008 just announced to be the year of a new 2.5L engine, which will likely replacing all the ubiquitous 2.4L engines.

Ergo, the 2.7L, not being the replacement for the 2.4, must be a new hybrid engine, finding its way into the Camry and Venza, while the Highlander eventually upgrades its 3.3L hybrid to a 3.5L hybrid, or maybe gets one of each.

Why else would Toyota have two 4 cylinder engines so close? So what could it get…210 hp, 40 mpg? Would make a great Lexus hybrid engine. IS300h, anyone?

I read Open Road Blog (I subscribe to the e-mails) and generally enjoy the skewed, one-sided Toyota loving. It provides a nice change from the relentless bashing on many blogs. I actually anticipate my daily arrival and am disappointed when Irv skips a day. The Blog is for Toyota lovers. It’s not that it lacks objectivity (sometimes) or facts (often). But it presents its viewpoints from Toyota itself, not from an outside source. It is also found on Toyota’s website. So it cannot help but be a marketing tool. Why should it not be involved in hyping the latest offering, an actual new product, not just an update?

As for the Venza itself, for some people this car is going to be near perfect. It is amazing how quickly some mfrs have drifted away from the car-based CUV concept to ones that are too big, too thirsty, too clumsy (Lambda quadruplets, I’m lookin at you. You too, Pilot.) Toyota, who invented this genre (RAV4, Highlander, RX300), has gone back to the drawing board to maybe make the “C” in CUV stand for car.

Now having said all that, I too am disappointed in the Microsite for not offering the info we consumers really need about this product. I, for one, am very anxious to find out specs on the 2.7L engine. But it will come in time. That’s why Toyota lets consumers sign up for updates. Justin, I’m sure you signed up and anxiously await your first e-mail.

It IS a “Camry wagon.” Though, given bushels-full of evidence that common, ordinary “wagons” don’t sell enough to be worth bothering over, it’s an “above-a-top-of-the-line Camry wagon in crossover format,” and I’ll bet that Toyota will sell essentially all that they would care to build.

Did anyone notice Camry sales moving out of the 40,000-unit-per-month range to the 50,000-unit-per month range in these times of high gas prices? Along with a few other models — Corolla, Civic, and Accord — these appear to be prime destinations for people bailing out of trucks and SUV’s. So, what does Toyota have READY TO GO RIGHT NOW? Yes, a crossover version of the Camry. PERFECT timing.

In the end, it just doesn’t matter if Toyota’s marketing campaign is lame — they’ve got cars on the lot that people want to buy. Except the ones for which demand is so high that they’re sold before they can set tire on any lot. And while the 2.8 are closing plants, Toyota is converting some of its truck-building capacity to build the cars that are so high in demand right now.

So, go ahead and criticize the Venza and, yes, the lame marketing campaign, but Toyota will keep on selling more cars than anyone else, while the 2.8 shrink to oblivion.

Let me check the Toyota website….
They must have something for this mission….
The excitement builds…..

Click, click……click, click….

Ah yes! Of course. The 5 door Yaris. An extra door for your dog. Expectations exceeded! They’ve got even this market lineup hole plugged tight, except for missing about 29 pounds of ugly chrome grille. They’ll fix that on the Mark II, I bet. Blow it up like a big balloon by stretching all dimensions by a factor of 1.3 and fitting a 5.7 liter V8 for better highway mileage.

Toyota can meet all your needs.

They’ll be making my Subies next. Feelings of intense peace are flooding over my body. Contentment. Warmth.

Now why didn’t the big 2.8 start planning for all this kind of thing in 1993? Talk about lack of foresight and adherence to quarterly profit forecasts over long-term R & D. Rant, rant, rant.

(Frothing at the mouth, your correspondent was dragged away by two nice men in white coats for a few days of much-needed rest, mouthing the word “Venza” over and over again)

Now, while your point is true, Toyota has tried selling some very fun-to-drive cars. Off the top of my head, recent models:
* 2nd-Gen RAV/4
* 7th-Gen Celica (yes, yes, FWD, but how can you argue with 2500lbs, 180hp, razor steering and 8000rpm?)
* 1st-Gen Altezza/IS300 (man, do I miss this car…)
* Any MR2 (cheapest mid-engine car you can buy, excepting the Fiero, which has, ah, issues)
* Any Supra

The problem is that every one of these cars sold badly. People wanted Camrys and Highlanders and Siennas and, by god, that’s what Toyota’s going to give them.

There’s a hole in Toyota’s lineup? Where?

I believe they are missing a car in the person-with-a-pulse category or the I-like-driving category

They wouldn’t make enough money on a wagon is my guess. Why give people what they need when you can sell them what they don’t need at $10000 more?

Cracked up at “Microsite!”, though. You got me with that one, JB.

For that matter, why in the hell did manufacturers start making crossovers anyway? Why not just make wagons – they’re the same damn thing, but cost less to make, and cost a hell of a lot less the market. I’d love a wagon version of my Impala. Oh well.

Better they work there, as opposed to engineering, styling or product planning.

Seriously, the Venza needs to be either six inches closer to the ground or a foot and half shorter to fill this mythical “hole” in Toyota’s lineup.

If “Venza” is the number one search word bringing people to the Open Road blog, then you’re not managing your website correctly. When people search for Venza, you should be sending them directly to the Venza microsite, not to the lame “Open Road Blog.”

Not quite. A website can’t directly influence the search engine rankings and so cannot dictate which site a person is “directed” to (except via the sponsored links – but who uses those?).

The website owner can only play by the rules of the search engines. And the general rule with Google is that they’ll decide for themselves how relevant the site is to the searcher. And they’re pretty good at it. And any tricks are likely to get to you blacklisted, like BMW a while back.

I suspect people end up on the blog simply because it’s been around longer and there has a higher page rank than the microsite. If the microsite is more relevant to Venza then Google will no doubt figure this out, after a while.

cheers

Malcolm

Audi Q7:
http://us.autos1.yimg.com/img.autos.yahoo.com/ag/audi_q7_36quattro_2008_exterior_4_346×270.jpg

Venza:
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/zz_09venza_pr001.jpg

I would like to shake your hand since your comment has made my day. Blessed be Toyota, forever.