QOTD: What Hath Toyota Wrought?
Yesterday we brought you a bit on the Toyota product blitz. While most of it was relatively small in terms of news impact — two special-edition Tacomas, a special Supra, and the refreshed and updated GR86.
The big news was the Corolla Cross crossover (say that five times fast) and, arguably, the bZX4 BEV Concept electric vehicle.
So, naturally, our question for you is this — how do the Corolla Cross and, potentially, the bZX4, change Toyota’s game? Should the C-HR go away? Will the Corolla Cross sell well or is it DOA? Should it at least have a different moniker?
And so on, and so forth. The floor is yours, ladies and gents.
[Image: Toyota]
Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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"bZX4" sounds like a computer password. Brand-new models are not the time for alphanumeric soup. They need an easy-to-remember identity that people can recite easily. Imagine if the Prius had been named "aZX2"...
Corolla Cross, what a name. Presumably it's a teensier Venza. You all probably forgot about that newish entry. It's hard to see what the USPs of all these scuttling windowed vans is supposed to be. Maybe to have lease payments $40 a month apart for advertising. There's surely no need for all this crap. What, are customers supposed to fall over in awe when they enter a Toyota showroom? "Lookit the choice here, Martha! And it's Toyota Red Tag Doo Dad Six Month Sales Event of a Lifetime as well! Yeehaw!" C/D just retested that other Toyota nonentity, the Lexus UX, which is a CH-R with a nose job and a fancy interior but nothing else, and wildly overpriced considering its moaning powertrain. It's machine-made sem-eye fancy sourdough bread. Can you imagine anyone dreaming of owning one? Tingling with anticipation? Toyota, Oh what a feeling. Only one real crossover seller, the RAV4, followed by the anonymous blocky Highlander, and the rest are window dressing. So maybe it's time to move all those cheapy Corolla drivers up to the Cross and relieve them of a few extra bux each month. All the manufacturers are just flinging various wet crossovers at the wall to see what sticks. Totally boring. Not a decent drive in any of them.
Good dividend, up 50 percent YOY, and no drama. TM is doing right. It's funny how Toyota stock is safe/conservative/reliable, just like its vehicles.
Hey Toyota, can you try an make cars that do not look like shit? Thanks.