Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Lexus, Toyota, By the Numbers

If you thought consumer sentiment for Toyota and Lexus might be wavering, think again. Toyota is top of the class based on results from the 2010 Motorist Choice Awards, a consumer-driven study developed by Intellichoice and AutoPacific. Offerings from Toyota and Lexus were named winners in nine out of the 30 available award categories.

The Motorist Choice Awards has now entered its fifth year and the categories are more refined and easier to understand than in years past. Instead of having consumers select makes and models simply based on size and price, award categories were transformed into lifestyle concepts such as High Tech, Fun to Drive and Value Car. Each category was further broken down into Popular Brand and Premium Brand.

Toyota received awards for Eco Friendly (Toyota Prius and Lexus RX Hybrid), High Tech (Lexus RX Hybrid), Youthful (Lexus IS), Kid Friendly (Toyota Sequoia), Road Trip (Toyota Sienna), City Car (Toyota Yaris and Lexus LS) and Value Car (Lexus RX Hybrid).

The winners were selected by pooling data from over 42,000 consumer surveys. “From an emotional standpoint these awards are a reflection of how cars fit into people’s daily lives, the tasks they fulfill on a day-to-day basis and the image people have of their vehicles,” says Charlie Vogelheim, Executive Editor of IntelliChoice. The full list of winners is available in the press release, waiting for you after the jump.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL
[Source: Intellichoice]

Continue reading Toyota leads the way in 2010 Motorist Choice Awards

Toyota leads the way in 2010 Motorist Choice Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink?|?Email this?|?Comments

Read more Autos Newsfeed daily here!
Originally posted here:
Toyota leads the way in 2010 Motorist Choice Awards

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, SUV, Crossover

Finally, after years and years of stagnation and painfully slow sales, small cars are starting to take a foothold in the United States. Or are they? While conventional wisdom makes us believe that Americans are ready to take the downsizing plunge in the face of – or at least the threat of – high fuel prices and environmental concerns (we’re all still watching the Gulf Coast, right?), it seems that reality may once again set us straight.

Automotive sales watchdog Autodata has found that the gas-swilling large SUV segment is growing at a faster pace than the America’s small car segment. Like statistics? Here we go: With a 19-percent jump over the first six months of 2010, large SUV sales have outpaced small cars (14 percent). Critically, they’ve also outpaced the overall market (17 percent).

Now, before we get our feathers riled up too much, realize that sales of large SUVs still lag way behind small cars – 974,000 to 121,000 through the first half of the year. Further, large crossovers like the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex, GMC Acadia and Lincoln MKT are included in those figures right alongside traditional behemoths like the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Infiniti QX56 and Toyota Sequoia.

We also expect that small car sales will continue to climb with new models coming to market, such as the upcoming Ford Fiesta, Mazda2 and Hyundai’s Accent and Elantra. That said, there’s always going to be a demand for large and powerful SUVs that can haul people and stuff while towing a boat or camper in cool, air-conditioned comfort, and automakers will be only too happy to provide the thick-margined vehicles for their consumption. For better or for worse.

[Source: USA Today via Kicking Tires]

Report: Large SUV segment outpacing small car sales growth in America originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink?|?Email this?|?Comments

Read more Autos Newsfeed daily here!
Read the original:
Report: Large SUV segment outpacing small car sales growth in America

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Toyota

At it’s peak in 2002, Toyota was selling over 70,000 Sequoias. Last year, that number dropped to below 20,000 units. So it comes as little surprise that ToMoCo will be nixing its Tundra-based SUV at the end of the current model’s lifecycle.

A source speaking with PickupTrucks.com confirmed that the Sequoia won’t live on, partially due to slow sales, but surely in part to get Toyota’s CAFE ratings in check before the new rules hit in 2015. But all’s not lost for the automaker’s body-on-frame offerings.

A redesigned Tundra is set to arrive in 2014, just in time for Ford, General Motors and Nissan’s newest half-ton pickups. Although sales of the Tundra haven’t lived up to Toyota’s lofty expectations, it’s obvious the automaker feels the need to compete in the segment, and a refreshed model should help sales, despite the market’s less-than-enthusiastic reception of Toyota’s largest pickup.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Report: Toyota to kill Sequoia, Tundra redesigned in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink?|?Email this?|?Comments

Read more Autos Newsfeed daily here!
Read more here:
Report: Toyota to kill Sequoia, Tundra redesigned in 2014