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TOKYO — Toyota has canceled the next-generation Lexus SC coupe/convertible and may shelve the planned replacement for the Toyota Avalon sedan, Inside Line has learned.
The SC has consistently been a slow seller for the Lexus brand, which is getting a new performance flagship, the LF-A supercar, in 2009. In the first six months, Lexus sold only 1,230 SC 430s, down more than 40 percent from a year ago.
The 2008 SC 430 is priced at $67,120. It is fitted with a 288-horsepower 4.3-liter V8 that is rated by the EPA at 16 mpg in city driving and 23 on the highway.
Toyota had been developing a successor to the SC, based on the same rear-wheel-drive platform as the LF-A. Originally slated for production in early 2009, the next-generation SC was pushed back to mid-2011 and now has been canceled, according to Toyota insiders.
With development of the next-generation 2012 Camry well underway, Toyota also is studying whether to cancel the planned replacement for the Camry-based Avalon, which currently is slated to go into production in Kentucky in early 2010.
In its place, Toyota may opt to produce a long-wheelbase Camry for such markets as North America and the Middle East. The redesigned Camry currently is slated to begin production in mid-2011.
What this means to you: High fuel prices continue to take their toll on larger, thirstier cars, even those from well-respected Japanese brands. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
IL Insider: Toyota Cancels Next-Generation Lexus SC
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The SC has consistently been a slow seller for the Lexus brand, which is getting a new performance flagship, the LF-A supercar, in 2009. In the first six months, Lexus sold only 1,230 SC 430s, down more than 40 percent from a year ago.
The 2008 SC 430 is priced at $67,120. It is fitted with a 288-horsepower 4.3-liter V8 that is rated by the EPA at 16 mpg in city driving and 23 on the highway.
Toyota had been developing a successor to the SC, based on the same rear-wheel-drive platform as the LF-A. Originally slated for production in early 2009, the next-generation SC was pushed back to mid-2011 and now has been canceled, according to Toyota insiders.
With development of the next-generation 2012 Camry well underway, Toyota also is studying whether to cancel the planned replacement for the Camry-based Avalon, which currently is slated to go into production in Kentucky in early 2010.
In its place, Toyota may opt to produce a long-wheelbase Camry for such markets as North America and the Middle East. The redesigned Camry currently is slated to begin production in mid-2011.
What this means to you: High fuel prices continue to take their toll on larger, thirstier cars, even those from well-respected Japanese brands. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
IL Insider: Toyota Cancels Next-Generation Lexus SC
M
In closet fan right here, I'm not going to deny it, I find the car to be attractive even though it a bit old now.
