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Toyota Camry to stop Domestic Sales in Japan

Discussion in 'Toyota Hybrids and EVs' started by drash, Mar 22, 2023.

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  1. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    A sign of things to come, the Toyota Camry will stop sales after 43 years in Japan according to the website creative311.com. I guess nothing is sacred and may be a harbinger of things to come over here?

    https://creative311.com/?p=151532

    partial translation:
    "[Sad news] Toyota Camry to end domestic sales. 43 years of history with no plans for a full model change... Toyota will continue to develop new models following the C-HR

    It is very disappointing because various completed image renderings of the next Camry have been released so far.

    On March 10, 2023, the Toyota official website just announced that domestic production and sales of the C-HR, a C-segment crossover, will end in late July of the same year. Camry (Toyota Camry) has been announced to end domestic sales.

    According to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun Online, the slump in demand for sedans in Japan is considered to be a major factor, and as of March 22, 2023, Toyota dealers nationwide had received a notice regarding the end of domestic sales.

    Although it is still about three months into 2023, it is surprising that sales of Toyota’s major models will end in a short period of time, but on the other hand, considering that new models will be released one after another from Toyota, It may be unavoidable for models with low sales demand to fade out.

    Annual sales volume is about 1/22 of Yaris

    Camry is one of Toyota's few sedan types, but according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, sales are sluggish due to the popularity of minivans and SUVs, and the Japan AutomobileDealers Association Federation According to the results of the survey, only 8,933 units will be sold in 2021, about 1/22 of the 191,000 units sold by the entry-level compact model Yaris.

    By discontinuing domestic sales of the Camry, there are comments on social media such as "Why did you stop selling the Camry?" Just end domestic sales.

    I think that it is possible to purchase a Camry for the Japanese market in the form of a current stock vehicle, a used vehicle, or a reverse import, but when we see a resurgence in demand for sedans someday, we will resell the Camry or a full model. I would like to look forward to the revival in the form of a change."
     
    #1 drash, Mar 22, 2023
  2. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Looking at the markets models of Crown & bZ were targeting, this shouldn't be much of a surprise.

    Seeing bZ4X become the replacement for RAV4 when the next-gen platform is rolled out doesn't seem too far of a stretch. And the version of bZ3 for China hints at potential for taking over the role of Corolla/Camry here.

    Watch what other automakers do as they face their own dual market situations. It could be like Seinfeld, choosing to end the series when everything is still going well.
     
    #2 john1701a, Mar 22, 2023
  3. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Japan is slated to get 4 versions of the new Crown. One of which is an unlifted sedan. They also still have the Corolla, which could be more popular there due to its size.

    Despite being a sedan, Camry sales are sell doing well in the US. I don't think Toyota could cancel it here. The price difference would more likely see customers go to the Accord than the Crown.
     
    #3 Trollbait, Mar 22, 2023
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    are the cancelling the hybrid as well?
     
    #4 bisco, Mar 22, 2023
  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Japan only had a hybrid.
     
    #5 Trollbait, Mar 22, 2023
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  6. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    The names Camry and Crown, as I recall, means the same thing. Originally, the Crown was called the Corona in the US.

    So, Toyota is just melding the names into one model.
     
    #6 Georgina Rudkus, Mar 22, 2023
  7. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    The Camry might not be for sale long in Europe either. In Europe the Camry sold only 15,127 units of which 7,914 were hybrids in all of 2022. Europe is rather enamored with hatchbacks and wagons, so the Corolla Hatchback and Corolla Touring Sports sold 103,620 hybrids alone. The Yaris sold another 185,781 units. These other cars are locally made, so the Camry faces an uphill battle because of tariffs. The Camry is their only large sedan left, but it has some tough competition.
     
    #7 drash, Mar 22, 2023
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    "The Crown's history and reputation has given it prominence in the Toyota lineup, as it is one of the few current Toyota models to carry its own unique insignia for the model line with the current Crown having a stylized crown emblem on the grille and steering wheel along with inspiring the names of its smaller progenitors. The Corona, introduced as a smaller companion to the Crown means "crown" in Latin and was initially exported as the "Tiara", while the Corolla took its name from the corolla ("small crown") in Latin. The Camry's name is derived from the Japanese phrase kanmuri (冠, かんむり) meaning "little crown" and the Scepter took its name from the sceptre, an accessory to a crown. The Avalon (the Crown's North American counterpart), while not named after a crown, is named after a mythical island from the legends of King Arthur."
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Crown
     
    #8 Trollbait, Mar 22, 2023
  9. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    In addition to what @Trollbait pointed out, the Camry started out in 1980 as the Toyota Celica Camry. It became an independent model in 1982 and Toyota tried making a family of Camry cars. Remember the Camry Solara or the Camry LE Liftback? At the time LE stood for Luxury Edition and my wife drooled over it but we ended up with the sedan. She also loved the Solara convertible but I was never going back to a coupe.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Camry
     
    #9 drash, Mar 23, 2023
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    camry was a popular rental car, it's probably more minivans now
     
    #10 bisco, Mar 23, 2023
  11. John321

    John321 Senior Member

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    The venerable Camry has been Toyota's bread and butter for many years. The ones made in the US have supported the lives of the plants workers and their families as well as Toyota's first American venture for many years.

    The Toyota Camry Is 2022's Best-Selling Car (motorbiscuit.com)

    "The Toyota Camry is the best-selling car for Q1 of 2022? I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you. Except, not at all. Because the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in the U.S. for 19 years, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. See why the Camry continues to forge ahead in sales during unprecedented times of auto-industry chaos."

    Why the Toyota Camry Is So Popular in the United States (torquedial.com)

    Camry engines are made in the US - Dash and plastic parts made in the US- Camry sheet metal stamped in the US - Camry assembled in the US. Camry is almost 100% American made in the Heartland of the US.
     
    #11 John321, Mar 23, 2023
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2023
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mrs b has driven one for the past 22 years, and won't consider anything else.

    but we're dinosaurs, don't know what the young crowd thinks.

    our kids all drive suv's
     
    #12 bisco, Mar 23, 2023
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah I can see that for Japan (But also concerning that conservative Japan is moving away from sedans. I guess that was the last area of a large car market that would typically want sedans).

    It's also too big for Europe, no? Especially when it moved to the Avalon chassis. Would be interesting to see what transpires here. Is the Crown selling well? I haven't seen any on the road and it's been on sale for a while. There's actually one sitting in a local dealer for sale - no pre-order attached (we don't typically do markups here either).

    Again, I live in an area that typically sees a lot of alt-fuel vehicles. (Just this week, I saw a Hummer EV and EQB, both just launched in Canada). I've even seen the new Prius. But yet, no Crowns.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Mar 23, 2023
  14. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    Haven't seen a Crown on the road but there are 2 sitting on a local dealer's parking lot. Europe is not getting the Crown, no mention of it at all.

    Saw a couple of Rivian trucks which blew me away and a few others but mostly Kia EV6, Hyundai Ionic 5, Ford Mustang Mach E, Chevy Bolts, and lots of Teslas. Weird, but I've seen a lot of the Ford Mustang Mach E's more than I've seen Bolts. I fully expect to see Solterras and bZ4Xs on the road as there are more than 10 sitting on dealer lots, but so far not one on the road.
     
    #14 drash, Mar 23, 2023
  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The Crown starts at $40k in the US. It won't replace the Camry at that price. It might also be smaller on the inside. Maybe Toyota is thinking of trimming the Lexus sedans here.
     
    #15 Trollbait, Mar 23, 2023
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