May 2016Yaris Sales: Down

[Thirty-Nine]

May 2016 Yaris sales were down 48.5% last month compared to the prior year, with 1,236 units sold. This puts year-to-date Yaris sales down 46.5% with 5,284 models sold.

Full subcompact car sales here:

http://www.subcompactculture.com/201...act-sales.html

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

May 2016 Yaris sales were down 48.5% last month compared to the prior year, with 1,236 units sold. This puts year-to-date Yaris sales down 46.5% with 5,284 models sold.

Full subcompact car sales here:

http://www.subcompactculture.com/201...act-sales.html

I bet the upcoming 2017 Toyota CH-R will take off in sales like the Honda HR-V has done, even though it looks like something out of a Thundercats cartoon - and will probably be underpowered like the Honda HR-V, and most Toyota cars in general for that matter.

Meanwhile, the Nissan Versa continues to be the definitive American choice when it come to budget subcompacts.

Except for the SE-trim Yaris, I don't see a single new car on the subcompact list that I would be interested in purchasing - be it for quality/reliability, aesthetic or practicality reasons. I probably would have jumped to the compact class (the largest car I am interested in driving) in the absence of the SE, and looked for something in that segment. SUV type vehicles sit too high for my taste, so I tend to stick to regular hatchbacks or sedans - which is why vehicles like the HR-V, CH-R, CX-3 don't really appeal to me.

Yaris sales will pick up in 2017, as both hatchback and sedan rebadged Mazda2's will be available under the Yaris nameplate (as both body types are available for the Versa). Plus, Consumer Reports will give it a GIANT LOVE HUG for it's 'newer technology', even if it is less reliable (like it does for the Honda Fit). Toyota might even have a hit on its hands with the 2017 Mazda2-Yaris if Toyota can manage to get the front-face-treatment better-looking than what the fugly iA (Yaris Sedan) currently offers.

[Kar98]

But why would anybody buy the Yaris SE for $18,755 plus TTL, if you can buy the Scion iM, soon to be Corolla hatch for $19,995? Or for that matter, the Corolla L for $18,735. All prices plus TTL.

[justanotherdrunk]

Originally Posted by Kar98

But why would anybody buy the Yaris SE for $18,755 plus TTL, if you can buy the Scion iM, soon to be Corolla hatch for $19,995? Or for that matter, the Corolla L for $18,735. All prices plus TTL.

The IM looks like a kid's car so for me it's not interesting

I would never buy a Corolla or anything that is very common

Price is not paramount for everyone

FYI - $18,755 is close to what I paid out the door for my 2016 SE

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by Kar98

But why would anybody buy the Yaris SE for $18,755 plus TTL, if you can buy the Scion iM, soon to be Corolla hatch for $19,995? Or for that matter, the Corolla L for $18,735. All prices plus TTL.

I'm not really a price shopper, as much as I am interested in buying a car that I really like, and want to drive daily. I could just as easily opted for an 2015 Acura ILX manual as the 2015 Yaris SE manual.

My little SE was ~19K total cost out the door, including the sales tax, 3 years worth of registration/tag, other fees, and even the $550 freight to have it shipped from CO to my home in AZ. I feel like I got a solid price, and more importantly I got the car that I wanted (aesthetics match my taste, hatchback instead of sedan, key feature upgrades that I wanted over L/LE Yaris, no crazy, unnecessary tech bloat, etc.)

The Scion iM (or iA) doesn't appeal to me really, for a variety of reasons. The latest Corolla has some key design/stance ugliness to it that I just HATE, so NO-GO in that regard either.

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by justanotherdrunk

The IM looks like a kid's car so for me it's not interesting

Uhm...

[Kalispel]

The blue SE in that pic looks good (to me). Everything is nice and proportional (to me), and flows well together. Sharp, snarky, fun-looking little car! Sort of reminds me of an aggressive little chipmunk, lol. The L/LE version really loses the appeal for me when you strip it down to the non-projector headlights, skinny tires, loss of rear hatch spoiler, smaller 15" wheels, and empty fog-light housings. KEY fundamentals to the look/personality of the car are just lost on those trim-levels.

The blue iM has a "snaggletooth" looking front bumper design (to me), and the headlights have an upside down look compared to the European version that it was derived from. The GINORMOUS, goofy fog light housing look like something Honda is putting on their new cars lately. Plus, what's up with that weird looking, out-of-place rear side window? A bit elongated/disproportional also for my taste. The wheels and lower body kit on this particular vehicle are what primarily make it look more like a "teenager car" (to me). I do like the rear taillights on this car though.

It's always interesting how aesthetic are so very subjective from one person to the next. One man's treasure in another man's bane, eh? Eye of the Beholder!

[Kar98]

I'm not saying I like one over the other, I'm saying I know which one is which, and I can barely tell them apart. And I also have to give gray Versa hatchbacks a second look to tell them from a Yaris.

Anyway, I can see why Yaris sales are down once more. There are better cars for nearly the same money. And near identical cars, for a whole lot less.

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by Kar98

Anyway, I can see why Yaris sales are down once more. There are better cars for nearly the same money. And near identical cars, for a whole lot less.

"Better" is somewhat subjective, just like aesthetics. Personally, I don't consider a CVT to be a better transmission, nor all the new "safety" (or infotainment) tech bloat that they are putting into cars for the perpetually-distracted idiocracy. Sure, the iM and Corolla both have ~30 more horsepower than the Yaris, but their added weight negate any acceleration gains over the Yaris. Not sure about the iM, but you cannot even get 4-wheel disc brakes on the Corolla unless you are willing to spend thousand extra for the S/S+ trim. Simply being bigger isn't always better in my book. Thus, I personally don't consider cars like the Corolla, Fit, iM, iA to be any better than a Yaris SE, all factors considered - despite their higher price tags in most cases. All those cars would actually be a step-down as far as I am concerned - for a variety of different reasons.

[kimona]

Originally Posted by Kar98

Anyway, I can see why Yaris sales are down once more. There are better cars for nearly the same money. And near identical cars, for a whole lot less.

I can't think of one small hatchback that is actually a "better" car (at any price) than the Toyota Yaris.