Friend just bought a new Yaris

[jambo101]

Couple of things i've learned is they evidently no longer offer a sedan version here in Canada And they've moved the centrally mounted instrument cluster to the more normal location of behind the steering wheel.
Not sure what Toyota is thinking as many of us prefer the sedan.In fact ever since the Yaris appeared on the North American market Toyota has given the car virtually no marketing push and has given me the impression Toyota itself doesnt like the car and would be quite happy if the car ceased to exist..

[Septembersrain]

They are no longer going to give the sedan except I think in the fleet line.
We don't have it here either. They said the sedans only made up under 20% of the sales.

I think the reason why the dealerships don't push the Yaris is because since it's so cheap, There aren't any incentives.
They probably don't make much on the top of this car.
Especially right now when they've got pressure to eliminate the old Camry/Corolla stock.

The Yaris is already a very decent price, So they don't have as much of a profit on it.
That coupled with the fact that the Yaris appeals to only a certain crowd, I'd think the car sells itself to those who seek it out like I did.

[Hershey]

Bummer , the sedan has/had some good things going for it . Like the arm rest in the rear , don't see that often in a car under $15,000 . Got our sedan for little over $14,000 when new .

[RedRide]

Toyota has a habit of not promoting their cars whatever reasons.
The classic case in point is the 7th gen Celica which except when fist released, there was no promotion of it.

I have yet to see an ad for a Yaris and if a co worked had not purchased one, I would not know that they even existed.

At least this is the case in the US.

[Aetre]

The Yaris is pretty clearly a "price leader," from a business standpoint. It's the same role filled by the Tercel and Echo in previous years. Basically, its existence serves two purposes:

1. Get people in the dealership so that you can convince them to buy a Corolla instead (my dealer tried this a number of times before he finally gave up when I wouldn't even test drive one).

2. Build brand loyalty for younger drivers. The idea here is that a 22-year-old buys the Yaris, but later when they have kids and need a larger car, they'll think, "My Toyota's a great car; maybe I should look at their Sienna, or Matrix, or an SUV..."

So basically, because of #2, Toyota has every incentive to make the car as reliable and accommodating as possible, but because of #1, they have incentive to limit options (interior fabric, for example) and not advertise.

I still love that if you go to Toyota's website, every car has a slogan... The Camry's is, "Fueled by fun." The Corolla says, "Smart, from every perspective." Matrix? "Pack. Escape. Live."

The Yaris? "It's a car!"

[edit: wrote "Odyssey" by mistake.]

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Aetre

The Yaris is pretty clearly a "price leader," from a business standpoint. It's the same role filled by the Tercel and Echo in previous years. Basically, its existence serves two purposes:

1. Get people in the dealership so that you can convince them to buy a Corolla instead (my dealer tried this a number of times before he finally gave up when I wouldn't even test drive one).

2. Build brand loyalty for younger drivers. The idea here is that a 22-year-old buys the Yaris, but later when they have kids and need a larger car, they'll think, "My Toyota's a great car; maybe I should look at their Odyssey, or Matrix, or an SUV..."

So basically, because of #2, Toyota has every incentive to make the car as reliable and accommodating as possible, but because of #1, they have incentive to limit options (interior fabric, for example) and not advertise.

I still love that if you go to Toyota's website, every car has a slogan... The Camry's is, "Fueled by fun." The Corolla says, "Smart, from every perspective." Matrix? "Pack. Escape. Live."

The Yaris? "It's a car!"

As someone else pointed out on another thread, the Yaris also helps Toyota meet CAFE requirements in the U.S.

[Betrivent]

Odyssey is Honda :P

[henrylee]

Originally Posted by Aetre

I still love that if you go to Toyota's website, every car has a slogan... The Camry's is, "Fueled by fun." The Corolla says, "Smart, from every perspective." Matrix? "Pack. Escape. Live."

The Yaris? "It's a car!"

haha

[Aetre]

Originally Posted by Betrivent

Odyssey is Honda :P

...Wow I need to get more sleep.