Bold Or Dumb Move? Toyota Ditches Mid Life Refreshes To Cut Costs

New models are the lifeblood of most any brand.  Just look at the sales figures for those that have aging lineups and you are almost guaranteed to see negative sales figure.  Conversely, those with with newer models are reaping the rewards of their investments, typically with positive sales or at the very least holding their own. 

So it came as some surprise that Automotive News is reporting today that Toyota has decided to cease all mid cycle refreshes as a cost cutting measure.

That means items such as grilles, headlamps, bumpers and interior colors will most likely cease to appear as a model ages.  Basically this means a 5 to 6 year run on a model may actually go without any changes. 

"So is that Camry a 2009, 2010, 2011, or even a 2012 you have there?"

Add to this fact that Toyota typically takes two to three years longer than many counterparts to refresh existing models, and we may have a recipe for disaster or brilliance. While admittedly expensive, this minor changes keep  many models current until the next major revision and serve as a definition what model year is what at a glance. 

By reducing minor face lifts Toyota is now banking on the original designs to be right on target with little chance of revision.  Is this an added risk? Of course, But looking at the current revisions of Lexus and Toyota models right now, I bet most of us would be hard pressed to tell any differences between the model years anyway.

So is this a bold move, or one that is destine to backfire?


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