Corolla Confronts Sales Slowdown

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by Ttple

I keep hearing that the steering on the new Corolla is terrible. They really should address the problem, pronto.

The EPS on the Corolla and on all future vehicles from almost every major manufacturer is something that the buying public will have to adjust to in every vehicle. It's the future.

[Rex Raider]

Originally Posted by steve333

You're an administrator at GMI but you work at a Toyota dealership?
Me no get it, senor.

Rex Raider gotta eat.
That's the simple truth.
I worked at a Chevy store. I didn't make enough bucks.
Now I work at a Toyota store, and I'm quite comfortable.
I've been a GM fan from birth, and I've been a GMI Admin and Moderator for 5+ years.
I don't get paid to run this site. I do this for fun.
If I start telling lies, or pump in facts that aren't true, then I can see a conflict. But I have no reason to do that.
And don't play the Patriotism card, as I'm in Canada, and we have no "domestic" brands. Toyota, Ford and GM all have factories within 90 minutes of my home.

[PA Dweller]

The Corolla is boring, that why it doesn't sell to young people. Why buy a Corolla when you can get a Mazda 3 or Honda Civic? Better looking vehicles IMO.

[jcgable]

This is GM's chance to get a new compact out by early next yer and really slam the side of the corolla. If the new Cobalt is a success, it can steal huge sales and gather momentum during this time of weaknesses. It isn't just about competing and creating great product, you have to concentrate on your competitors weaknesses as well.

[jcgable]

Originally Posted by Rex Raider

Rex Raider gotta eat.
And don't play the Patriotism card, as I'm in Canada.

Clearly you hate America and will stop at nothing to destroy Liberty, Happiness, and Cute puppies.

People need to relax. :-)

[AkSean]

Dear AMERICA 123, and all other Toyota doom sayers. Was there ONE just ONE GM make that outsold the Corolla last month? Well the answer is NO! Not to bad for a boring,delivering nice little old ladies to the bingo,transmission on the mainstream models are over a decade old,interior looks cheap,boring commuter vehicle,ugly car. Oh ya we don't have one on the lot, and half the ones comung in have deposits on them. Less than a mile away at the GM dealership I worked for years back they still have plenty of Cobalts on the lot.

[member12]

The Focus is selling much better than I thought.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

Fade away? Last month it set the record for the most units ever sold in any month in its history here.

Is everyone here missing the point of being in the auto business? Move steel, put fannys in seats, make money. End of story. It's a basic no frills people mover with a good price, dead solid reliability and great fuel economy across the board. That's value for most buyers.

No, you can't say that unless you are willing to post up creditable data that shows Corolla sales data separately from the MATRIX.

Of course you can uselessly discuss the combined Corolla/MATRIX figures history - whose only purpose is to hide whats REALLY going on with the Corolla alone - and try and make it look better than it really is - especially against the Honda Civic.

It's amazing that every single marketing effort or point of contact with the buying public by Toyota references these as completely separate models and product yet on sales count, and sales count only, they are allowed to run them together.

Complete BS, - started and supported by that other member of Toyota's 'informal' 'misinformation' and 'spin' network ie AutoData.

Well, as Rex Raider says look at the facts, so lets do that and leave the BS behind.


Some of those facts are that with very fresh product for both the Corolla and MATRIX, a strong buying trend towards products in Corolla's and MATRIX's price ranges and a off the charts sales trend for product with Corolla's smaller underpowered 1.8L engine's EPA fuel economy numbers - combined Corolla/MATRIX sales are substantially down YTD - as in 'look MA, I can fly with my new antigravity boots'.

Can you name another duo or solo Corolla 'type' product that has YTD numbers like this - whether or not it is literally brand new as is the Corolla ????

And, then, one whose comparison numbers from 2007 were by internal historical standards sooooo weak - which makes the weak 2008 numbers look stronger than they really are ????.

[eurohazard]

^ Toyota should include Pontiac Vibe sales too! That aught to get you spun up!

[ZeroDrag]

Originally Posted by AkSean

Dear AMERICA 123, and all other Toyota doom sayers. Was there ONE just ONE GM make that outsold the Corolla last month? Well the answer is NO! Not to bad for a boring,delivering nice little old ladies to the bingo,transmission on the mainstream models are over a decade old,interior looks cheap,boring commuter vehicle,ugly car. Oh ya we don't have one on the lot, and half the ones comung in have deposits on them. Less than a mile away at the GM dealership I worked for years back they still have plenty of Cobalts on the lot.

CLASSIC!!

There are GM fans, and then there are Toyota haters. AMERICA 123 or whatever the **** his name is, is clearly a Totota hater. He thinks Toyota is the one to blame for his cute little GM losing money every year, it's Toyota's fault they make boring, outdated appliances that people still want to buy over GMs world class, cutting edge dream machines.
Look, GM's problem is never going away until they actually stop blaming other and stop finding (or making up) faults in other. I guess that's a pure American trait.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

I wonder if the Corolla is down because a lot of people that would have bought one are now buying used cars instead to save some cash.

That's a possibility - and other new/ other brand in the segment or around it.

In house, ie within Toyota's line up - which does matter given Toyotas still strong and significant loyalty numbers - its probably almost without a doubt the Yaris.

It would be better to look at a years worth of data but even just using last month will show that - and more.

Also some other stuff.
*******************
Taking into account market conditions ............ and ignoring most of the monthly data...... YTD looks mixed in their highest FE grouping.

Blue = strength

Black = in between and or mixed.

Red = weakness

TOYOTA RETAIL SALES
(INCLUDES FLEET & HAWAII)
May, 2008

..........................----- CURRENT MONTH -- -- ----------....... CALENDAR YEAR TO DATE .....
.................................................. ....................DSR %.............................................. DSR %
....................................2008.......... 2007......... CHG...... .......2008........... 2007..........CHG

YARIS....................... 14,397...... .10,949......... 26.6........... .56,208..... ..37,367....... 48.1
COROLLA/MATRIX....52,826........45,238......... 12.4....... ....152,308... ..165,722....... -9.5
CAMRY/SOLARA........51,291.... ...50,126......... -1.5.... .......198,309... ..193,900......... 0.7
AVALON..................... 4,269.......... 6,435....... -36.1........ ....21,273.... ...31,861...... -34.3
PRIUS....... ................15,011........24,009....... -39.8.............79,675........76,747......... 2.2

SCION xB....................5,351.......... 3,658........ 40.9.............21,241..... ...13,331....... 56.9
SCION tC....................5,166........ ..6,615....... -24.8...... ......19,575..... ...27,041...... -28.7
SCION xD... ................4,337................ 0............ -..............13,153................ -............. -
SCION xA......................... 4......... ..1,297..... .-99.7................... 35.........8,096....... -99.6

TOTAL TOYOTA
DIV. PASS. CAR...... 152,652.... ...148,327... ....-0.9.............561,778.... ..554,067........ -0.2

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

The Corolla is boring, that why it doesn't sell to young people. Why buy a Corolla when you can get a Mazda 3 or Honda Civic? Better looking vehicles IMO.

The fact is that it sells to everybody across the board. It has to in order to sell 400,000+ units annually. Who it doesn't appeal to stronlgly are the young who are looking for something HOT. For those buyers there's the 3 and the Si and the SS. It appeals to the young on a budget, the middle agers on a budget and the old folk on a budget. That's been it's primary market has been for the last 40 yrs.

Now though due to high fuel costs that 'budget' market has boomed as minimizing fuel costs has become one of the primary buying factors in all knds of buyers. It's perfectly placed to catch all these defectors from the guzzler segment. It may even collect one or two buyers wanting some upscale touches like Navi and Bluetooth. Miracles do happen. But that won't change it's basic purpose....utterly reliable transportation that costs next to nothing to drive for 8-10 yrs.

[silvergoat2k6]

Plenty of new Corollas on the roads around here...I see more and more of them everyday. I still see more new Civics though.

[1931Chevy]

IMO the problem with the Corolla is that it looks a lot like the model it replaces, hell the focus with the old platform dont look like the model it replaced

[Ttple]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

The EPS on the Corolla and on all future vehicles from almost every major manufacturer is something that the buying public will have to adjust to in every vehicle. It's the future.

Maybe, but I don't hear any negative reviews of other cars that have it.