not to mention that due to the taxes and customs, Corolla is considered luxury car in many of the countries in the world :-).

also, i like the idea that somehow interior of 2000 ES would be cheaper to produce now for some reason :-)

 

Actually, getting rid of the rear drums for 4 wheel disk brakes and the 4 speed auto for a 5 or 6 speed one should be the only major changes. Everything else is just right for the current price. These changes shouldn't affect pricing too much either.

 

Sure.

The price of entry for an automatic transmission with reasonable tech features (ipod connection, sat radio, etc) is pretty much $22,000 in the US.

If hyundai can do it, they can do it. Toyota is marketing beige against neon, and it's not going so well for them. When you look at a corolla for $22,000 next to an elantra which comes with leather, nav, sunroof, bunwarmers, push button start, etc for that price, it's a sad sad sight.

It's more on par with the hyundai accent, which is several thousand dollars cheaper and STILL has a 6spd manual or really nice 6spd automatic. The elantra's automatic is a great transmission.

 

Rear drum brakes are a poor excuse on any car built in this day and age. Jut my opinion.

 

it is purely cost decision... Corollas in other parts of the world have much nicer interiors and much more features than US Corolla, but they are also a lot more expensive.

In Europe EVERY Toyota, except for 3cly 69hp engine gets 6 speed transmission, be it Manual, Automatic, MMT or CVT.



How about Alcantra seats in Corolla? :-)

 

or ASEAN Spec Corolla Altis, with leather seats, 7-speed S-CVT with paddles and HDD Navigation from Lexus?

 

The problem is NOT that the Corolla is a bad car. The engine itself is very smooth, quiet, efficient and clean-running, even without the fancy direct injection, and valve timing and lift control. The problem is that Americans are NOT WILLING to consider spending more on compact and sub-compact cars. Americans have, historically, considered smaller cars to be econoboxes/penalty boxes, cars to be bought because they cannot afford what they really want, which is a mid- or full-size car.

So Toyota has had to cheapen the North American Corolla with the cheap interior plastics, torsion beam rear suspension, rear drum brakes, 4-speed automatic transmission and single engine choice. Other than the rear suspension, Corollas available outside of North America are better: 4-wheel disk brakes, 5-speed and better automatic transmissions, better interior materials, automatic climate control and Smart Key (which was available on the Canadian Corolla -- I don't know if it still is) and better engine choices.

One problem that Toyota does have is that it does not spend money on flashy features (like heated rear seat or a flashy centre stack); Toyota spends its money underneath, where it is not that visible, including incredibly refined and efficient engines, and overall driving refinement. So, people look at the Corolla, compare it to a flashy new Hyundai or Kia or Mazda and say: "Boring, old-man's car".

As gas prices start to climb in America, perceptions may be starting to change and Americans may start to look at compact cars as cars that they are willing to spend more money on. That can only be good for Toyota and the Corolla.

 

Actually, when compared to some of its competitors, the corolla is a pretty unrefined driving experience. It's noisy, the suspension is average, and if you have an automatic, performance is severely hampered by the ratios of the transmission. It badly needs a 5th gear so it buzzes along on the highway, and it kills the efficiency by pretty much always running the engine 1000-1500rpm higher than it should be.

They managed to spend money on some seriously stupid looking taillights, I say keep the ones that looked like stickers and put on 4 wheel disc brakes. If they made a competitor to the civic hybrid, they'd sell more, but toyota is trading on its old reputation for reliability when honda, hyundai, kia, etc are offering way more for the money. If honda can have 5 different civic models from basic stripper all the way to Si, then toyota can do more than put some ground effects on it and call it sport.

 

ok try a sentra. blows away the corolla in every way.
http://www.nissanusa.com/sentra/specifications.html

toyota has a LOT of competition.

 

wow, nice. no wonder the corolla is the world's best selling car (i think), it's really not the same car at all from place to place.

 

Fundamentally, the problem with toyota is they have chosen to cater to one particular buyer: the person who bought a camry 8 years ago, and wants to buy the exact same car again.

They threw away the youth base when they dumped the celica in favor of the much blander tC and dumped the MR2 entirely. They lost their enthusiast base when they ditched the supra.

The youth market has money to spend and very little brand loyalty built. Be the first one back to market with reliable performance models (no not like a sentra se-r, a dedicated performance model).

Stop catering to middle aged soccer moms, you can always make the camry and rav4. The youth market has a whole market of people with high disposable income, few expenses, and who arent likely to keep a car to 300k miles. Give them what they want, and theyll be buying a new car from you every three years.

 

i think that's what the frs is all about?

 

Don't know what 15 year old Corolla *you* were driving but that is not the experience today. The Corolla remains one of the quietest, most refined cars in its class.
And did it hurt or hamper Toyota in any way? Absolutely not. Toyota became the worlds largest automaker *after* those cars were gone.

 

according to another thread, Scion is most coveted brand by Gen Y.

 

yeah, although Corolla has been specifically made to cater to 40+ market. Even in Euro premium interior with dual zone, leather seats, HDD nav, paddles, and soft interior plastics, it still has that classic interior look catering to ... old people.

Even Avensis was made for 40+ buyers in mind.

But for that reason they have made Auris in Europe, which is very different all around and caters to younger demographics.


Again, a lot like... VW at the end.