Originally posted by: Gibson486
You make what people want. It is the reason why Toyota sells so many cars. Why change it if the formula works? It's the reason why the Accord is heading in that direction. Besides, I think lots of the "boring Toyota" comments are over done. Yes, the corolla is a boring car, but it does not handle badly at all. Infact, it is pretty competent. It just has steering that is assisted a little too much (and it has an engine that can't move through Paris Hilton). The 2010 Camry's handling is equally good and it does not suffer as badly from the numb steering (it's actually not as numb as previous Camrys and it has a fantastic engine).
I drove my coworker's 07 Corolla a couple times. And yes, it handles terribly. There is absolutely no reason why such a lightweight car should roll so badly in turns at even low speeds. The engine is loud, buzzy and weak. Acceleration is abysmal. The interior is bland, boring, and has cheap-feeling materials. The seats are uncomfortable. The stereo sucks. The exterior is hideous. I honestly cannot think of one thing that I liked about it. A truly awful car, IMO. People buy them because they are super cheap, fuel efficient, and have a reputation for reliability. Although my coworker's car died completely (with 15k miles on it) when the ECU decided to suicide on the expressway for no apparent reason. But of course, it must have been a fluke, because after all, it's a Toyota. :roll:
The sporty market is small....and the sporty market eventually becomes the boring market that buys those boring camrys. Yes, Toyota can probably make a sporty sedan that could bring the mazda3 to its knees, but why would they want to do that at the expense of selling more than double the amount of mazda3s?
To shake their image as a boring manufacturer of automotive appliances? Right now, the name "Toyota" evokes about as much emotion among automobile enthusiasts as the name "Maytag". It wouldn't hurt to generate interest in the brand among young first-or-second-time buyers who are interested in sporty cars, either. One good first impression is sometimes all it takes to keep a lifetime customer - while one bad one can cause that same person to swear off of one manufacturer for life. Look at all of the people who bought GMs, Fords, and Chryslers in the '80s that fell apart on them - who sadly are now driving Hondas and Toyotas as a result.
The truth is, for most, the mazda3's ride is just too harsh. We saw what happened with Toyota's sporty cars. They didn't sell. Just like the RSX did not sell at the end of its life. No one is buying Miatas (they still have tons of 08s on the lot), even with the hefty discount. Toyota even went as far as to make a sporty corolla with a turbo. No one bought it. They have version now with the camry's 2.4L and stiffer suspension. No one buys it. So why would Toyota continue this trend of making cars that no one will buy?
They didn't sell for tons of reasons. Supra was overpriced, MR2 was outclassed (and beaten price-wise) by the Miata, and the Celica was for girls. If they made the Supra and MR2 more competitive price-wise, and put some non-shitty engines in the Celica, I bet things would be very different. And nobody is buying anything right now - it's not just Miatas that aren't selling. They haven't been able to give new cars away due to the economy.
Besides, you can't just slap a turbo into a hideous, sloppy handling, grandmotherly econobox like a Corolla and expect it to sell. No matter what you do to it, it's still ugly as shit and has a terribly stodgy image.
I do hope Toyota can start making interesting cars again. They haven't had anything even remotely interesting in their lineup for years.
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