With Japan brands recovery, Toyota hands its recovery task to small displacement cars.
Yesterday, FAW Toyota new Vios launched market. And GAC Toyota Yaris-L will launch market and the end of this month at Guangzhou Auto Exhibition.
This March, Toyota shows its Vios and Yaris-L. At that moment, Toyota (China) director Hiroshi Onishi told reporter that Toyota will restart its small displacement auto strategy. It is only a beginning to introduce two small displacement cars.
In recent years, Toyota small displacement cars sales decline. According to statistics, top 10 small displacement cars in Chinese market in 2012 do not include the two above cars.
Vios is the first China made small displacement car of FAW Toyota, and it is also the first round small displacement cars of joint ventures. The star has fallen recent years.
According to National Passenger Car Association, in the first 9 months of this year, Vios is only sold 1,913, which has decreased almost 80%. According to statistics, in the first three quarters this year, small displacement cars in China sales mount to 1.42 million.
As it known by reporter of
GAC Toyota faces the same situation. Camry takes sales goal of GAC Toyota, and it is criticized by its short product line. At present, from GAC Toyota product line perspective, 4 China made cars are upper middle Camry, SUV Highland, Small displacement Yaris and MPV Verso. Yaris has not sold well since it launched market.
From Jan to Sept, GAC Toyota 4 cars sales percentage: Camry takes 58.47%, Highland takes 30.56%, Verso takes 6.09% and Yaris takes 4.88%. According to statistics, Yaris has sold 12.3 thousand in China, which has decreased 36.1% and only takes 2.46% of GAC Toyota total sales.
However, according to market rule, small displacement car shall take the highest percentage of total sales, but GAC Toyota “upside down situation” has remained for a while. In small displacement segment, Japanese brand waned for a long time. The top 5 small displacement cars of 2012 are Chevrolet, Hyundai, FAW, Kia and Volkswagen, which do not include any Japanese brands. Shanghai GM Chevrolet Sail sells 20 thousand per month average. And Beijing Hyundai Rena and Shanghai Volkswagen POLO are sold more than 10 thousand as well.
