The moribund full-sized sedan segment gets a shot in the arm with the arrival of the redesigned 2013 Toyota Avalon in early December.
The new version of the U.S.-built Avalon has a sleeker silhouette and a more dynamic front fascia than its staid forerunner. A hybrid version gets 40 mpg.
Toyota expects annual sales to more than double from its current level to about 70,000, with an 80-20 sales split between the V-6 and the hybrid models. Toyota hopes to increase the proportion of leases from 5 percent to 25 percent of sales.
The current Avalon has a median customer age of 67, the oldest in the segment. But after the new version was unveiled a few months ago, Toyota heard from more than 100,000 hand-raisers with a median age in the low 50s.
Read Article