The news, advanced by Autocar, cites as the main reason for this decision the loss of customers in the D segment, which led to, for example, that in 2017 Toyota only delivered 25,319 Toyota Avensis units in Europe. That is, 28% less than in 2016, and very far from the 183,288 units delivered by the segment leader among generalists, Volkswagen, with the Passat.
Furthermore, in second place among the best sellers, another Volkswagen group brand, Skoda, comes in, with a total of 81,410 Superb delivered.
“We have been monitoring the D-segment and the truth is that it has not only been declining, but also suffering from the high discounts”, commented, in statements to the British magazine, a source from Toyota Europe.
Remember that, even before this latest news, there were already rumors that the future of Avensis would be “under discussion”. With Toyota Europe's president himself, Johan van Zyl, not long ago admitting, and also to Autocar, that the manufacturer had not yet made a decision on a possible successor to the model.
A smaller hatchback to succeed Avensis?
Meanwhile, Motor1 is also advancing, based on unidentified sources, that the Japanese brand may be considering launching a smaller saloon, instead of the Avensis, produced from the latest generation of Auris.
Launched in 2009, the current generation Toyota Avensis underwent an update in 2015. However, the drop in sales began much earlier, even in 2004, the year in which Toyota managed to sell 142,535 units of the model.