echo all over again?

[roxy84]

does anyone think sales of this car will become poor enough (in the U.S.) that it will go the way of the echo. ive noticed that between the 4 toyota dealers within a 2 hr drive, there are a total of 25 yaris hatchbacks on the lots. the two dealers close to me have had the same 12 hatches for almost 4 weeks now. i know the sales are naturally going to slow down from its first year, but im surprised at how many hatches are sitting around the lots now.

i guess im kinda ranting because of all those hatches, none of them have side airbags. maybe people are prioritizing safety more now, but nobody seemed to care last year when they were grabbing every yaris that showed up. everyone certainly must have suspected these B segment cars would fair quite poorly in crash tests without side airbags.

so, are sales flagging? or, are you guys still seeing limited availability in your area?

[hasher22]

I think that more and more people want their own custom built cars now. Wait 3 Months+ for it. I think the yaris's you see in the dealers are just there to sell if anyone wants them.

Though not everyone can afford a new car these days, even if its a 14000USD car.

If i remember right, the yaris's are selling really fast! I mean, in australia i see about 6+ on the road each day.

No offence to the echo, but i thaught the echo was the ugliest thing on earth. Havin a complete make over Name and appearance was a good move. I mean i hate the name echo and i hated the look. I like the name Yaris and Love the of the yaris.

[brickhardmeat]

I have to agree with Hasher. My Mom has an Echo and it is fugly. It is a reliable car and she could care less what it looks like but the Yaris is a very different car in so many ways. I think smart people buy the Yaris and there aren't a ton of smart people but hopefully enough to keep it in production for a good long while.

[roxy84]

yeah, all those yarii are configured the same, with convenience package only, some stick, mostly auto. id think high mileage (real world) cars will be hot with gas prices rising. ( overall, i think the versa is a decent package for $13,500. however, all the forums regarding the versa have the same theme running through them--s***t gas mileage. i mean, people seem to be happy just to get 30-32 mpg on a highway trip. we're talkin gas sucking dodge caliber territory.) last year people had to wait maybe weeks or months just to get any hatch in their preferred color. if i will do without side airbags, i can get a 5 speed hatch in any color i want within days. so, maybe people are just being more picky about how the yaris is optioned

additionally, any of those dealers were happy to sell me any hatch on their lot for $200 over invoice. they are not so willing to do that for a 5 speed hatch w/ side airbags that they located 400 miles away.

[ECHOKnight2000]

I think over the past year, the factory might be able to catch up a little so there are going to be some liftbacks sitting on the lot. Gas prices are going back up so I'm sure that will spark some continual interest in the Yaris. I think it will do fine. Gas prices, I hate to say it are only going to go up from now on.

[yrsdrgn]

my car doesn't have side air bags and the dealerships around my area have probably two to zero hatches sitting around at their dealership (even the crappy dealership.)

[boxerboy]

There is only one real reason to buy a Yaris , that is to save money on personal transportation. Most people don't seem to care. IMO

[Blenjar]

The yaris will be the next camry delivery car at every chinese, pizza and etc restaurant.

-- Blen

[hasher22]

Originally Posted by Blenjar

The yaris will be the next camry delivery car at every chinese, pizza and etc restaurant.

-- Blen

Already has in australia..... replaced by the ugly echo

[gabagooo]

It looks like they have sold less than 75000 in the US since the car's introduction. The Corolla out sells it buy a wide margin. I love my Yaris, but compared to other cars it has far fewer standard features than it direct competitors. The dealer in my two has two cars that were on the lot when I bought mine back in October. But as gas climbs in price I suspect that sales will pick up.

[Yaris Revenge]

Yup, $2.50/gallon seems to be the breaking point where America goes "Damn! This SUV is eating me alive!"

And gas just topped that this weekend around here. The Yarii will be back in demand any day now.

However, the Yaris did score piss-poor crash results without the side air. I know I'm taking it into consideration, so I'm sure others will too, and those units without side air will have to wait for those individuals that are more broke and/or suicidal.

~YR

[static808]

Originally Posted by Yaris Revenge

Yup, $2.50/gallon seems to be the breaking point where America goes "Damn! This SUV is eating me alive!"

And gas just topped that this weekend around here. The Yarii will be back in demand any day now.

you're kidding about the 2.50 gas right!!?! i'd kill for those prices right now! currently, gas here is 3.25 for regular, 3.35 for super, and 3.45 for premium. its sad, cuz i still remember my high school days of filling up for 1.12 a gallon, and im only class of '98. gas prices have increased WAY too fast...

--B

[Thirty-Nine]

From most of the media's reviews, it seems like they don't like the Yaris much. I don't think the Echo had any fans in the media, though. I see a lot of them around still. For a "flop," they seemd to make the Echo for a long time.

The Fit gets all the automotive praise in the b-segment.

The dealers couldn't keep these in stock when they were first introduced. My local dealer had about 8 hatches (!) on the lot; some were manual, too.

I like the Yaris, and don't really care what the media says.

[foober]

Other than having the most reliable engine and drive train ever developed the echo didn't look all that great. MOst people it appears are just into looks and status and not reliability and usefulness. But thats the world we live in.

[deebrown]

The Yaris will NEVER catch on in America as Americans LOVE big CARS/TRUCKS with BIG HORSE POWER...unless gas tops 5 dollars a gallon...remember, for most Americans the car they drive is a symbol for how "successful" they are in life...most of the people on this board fundamentally do not think like this, we think economically rather than trying to achieve social status via an automobile...

[Pars]

All the bad reviews regarding the Yaris is coming for the States. Probably because the US Yaris Hatch has some standard features that are missing, but included everywhere else (like tachometer, extra doors, ABS...).

In Canada, I haven't noticed any journalist bash the Yaris, but they still chose the Fit over the Yaris. Even so, in the city, there's about 5 Yaris Hatch for every Fit... I've yet to see a comparison with the 5dr Yaris Le (with power package) vs Fit LX. In which case, they'd be starting off on even shoe (tires) and have almost identical options (except, Yaris would be about $1000 cheaper, but no side airbags). I suspect in this particular comparisons test, the Fit's side airbags and extra cargo wouldn't be enough to take the lead.

For those who are not used to flogging the car on the streets, the Fit's quick steering and low profile tires may appear more sporty, while the Yaris steering only gets quick when it needs to and has a comfy/mundane set of shoes. If you were to take a Yaris that was tweaked for the race track and have a Fit with the similar modification, I doubt the Fit would stand a chance. The Yaris has a quicker engine and excellent handling dynamics at the limits.

[nsmitchell]

Originally Posted by deebrown

The Yaris will NEVER catch on in America as Americans LOVE big CARS/TRUCKS with BIG HORSE POWER...unless gas tops 5 dollars a gallon...remember, for most Americans the car they drive is a symbol for how "successful" they are in life...most of the people on this board fundamentally do not think like this, we think economically rather than trying to achieve social status via an automobile...

How about a ROUSH YARIS! Sell it for $45K. Then America will be all over it!

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by deebrown

The Yaris will NEVER catch on in America as Americans LOVE big CARS/TRUCKS with BIG HORSE POWER...unless gas tops 5 dollars a gallon...remember, for most Americans the car they drive is a symbol for how "successful" they are in life...most of the people on this board fundamentally do not think like this, we think economically rather than trying to achieve social status via an automobile...

Or we're just cheapskate/broke/unsuccessful lowlives