Could Toyota become #1 in the US?

[blacken]

for some sports cars arent about egos

there are some of us who enjoy the beauty and grace of a sports car in motion
while you may not understand it or wish to understand it
it is an art form , for several of us
being able to squeeze that extra horsie out
or getting a perfect torque curve
to the point where you clean polish your engine to the point where it blinds all those who open your hood

there is something about bonding with a car and apreciating its beauty to the fullest.

beauty and art is in the art of the beholder and to several of us here
sports are are a beautifull art
thats why so many of us wish for toyota to return our beauties to us
the celica, supra, mr-2
if youve never ridden in one , or enjoyed one you might not understand
but the sheer sound of a turbo spooling and the release valve just going pishhhhhhhhhhchhhhh
is so relaxing ^.^

[Bakemono]

Whatever you gotta tell yourself. Ive driven several '60s Ford Mustangs (my parents own 3 of them infact, a '68 coupe, a '67 Fastback GTA with a 390 in it and a '67 convertible), a '68 GTO Judge and an '82 Corvette. Trust me, I understand.
Oh and about being, "bitter" because other people have sweeter rides than me, I learned a long time ago the old Buddhist lesson that material possesions dont bring about lasting happiness, so I couldnt care less how, "sweet" someone else's ride is.
No amount of stuff is going to bring lasting happiness, because regardless of what you have, there is someone out there whose car is newer, faster and better. As long as my vehicle take me where I need to go and gets me back home with a minimal amount of drama, Im happy.
Bottom line, when gas is $4 a gallon and (in the case of Chrysler) your lineup is known for poor fuel economy, a gas-guzzing V8 ego-car is the last thing you need to be coming out with. Its yet another case of people spending money they dont have, on things they dont need, to impress people they dont know.
I'll take a slow, boring, fuel-sipping Corolla or Camry over any musclecar. To each their own though. How boring the world would be if we all liked the same things.

[DOGSTOY06]

blacken & bakemono ,I fully agree with both you. in my almost 58yrs on this planet have had my share of muscle cars and collector pieces. but in a economy when fuel was at 2.00 a gallon what were the knuckleheads thinking buying a fuel guzzling big ass truck for. thats what I mentioned. I would much rather have the v6 supercharged (which I have now) in my Xrunner knowing full well that fuel wouldn't come down.I love the whine of my s/c when i exercise it from time to time. I would love nothing better to get my hands on a restored supra as a weekend cruiser only. I don't need to be seen in the largest gas guzzling truck to make me feel like someone or to impress someone that frankly doesn't give a rats ass about me. give me my mileage getter all 6 speeds and my s/c & I'm a happy man! the sports exotics are a art form with the gently curved lines and the roar of raw h.p. but alas my wallet right now says no way. but i can dream!

[Bakemono]

Dont get me wrong, Id love to have a Supra, Celica, MR2 or Lexus IS in my driveway. I also dont deny that sportscars are important to an automaker.
Look at Dodge's lineup though. Other than the Caliber, everything they make is a gas guzzler. At a time when gas is at $4 a gallon and expected to continue rising, they would be wise to focus less on horsepower and more on improving their fuel economy.

[blacken]

Originally Posted by Bakemono

Dont get me wrong, Id love to have a Supra, Celica, MR2 or Lexus IS in my driveway. I also dont deny that sportscars are important to an automaker.
Look at Dodge's lineup though. Other than the Caliber, everything they make is a gas guzzler. At a time when gas is at $4 a gallon and expected to continue rising, they would be wise to focus less on horsepower and more on improving their fuel economy.

thats why several people want toyota to bring back OUR sports cars

my celica can get 35mpg
over at newcelica.org we got people nearing 40 mpg in their GT-Ss

even the supra got exelent gas milage for a sports car
300+ horsepower car that can get 28+ mpg heck yeah bring it on

Toyota can potentially dominate every auto market out there
economy = #1, Sports = Potential for #1, Luxury = Lexus isnt the world best selling luxury brand for nothing.

So yes Toyota Definately can be #1 in World and USA
its all a matter of how fast and how much they want to get their feet wet.

[Vmax2007]

Originally Posted by blacken

even the supra got exelent gas milage for a sports car
300+ horsepower car that can get 28+ mpg heck yeah bring it on

400+ HP V8 Corvettes can get 30+ MPG's on the HWY, so 28 MPG from a Supra aint any big deal.

[eyedoc]

Originally Posted by Vmax2007

400+ HP V8 Corvettes can get 30+ MPG's on the HWY, so 28 MPG from a Supra aint any big deal.

fueleconomy.gov


2009 corvette = 26mpg hwy v8 6.2l
1996 supra = 22mpg hwy v6 3.0l

[GatoradeBoy]

Originally Posted by eyedoc

fueleconomy.gov


2009 corvette = 26mpg hwy v8 6.2l
1996 supra = 22mpg hwy v6 3.0l

That may be true but look at the difference in initial buying cost of those two cars when they were/are brand new and then look at the difference in resale value after owning one five years. Looking at MPG and HP alone is a terrible way to compare those two cars.

[gladis]

The answer: no, not yet anyway.

General Motors holds off Toyota in June US sales

By TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writers
34 minutes ago


General Motors Corp. outsells Toyota Motor Corp. in June to retain its traditional U.S. sales lead, even though GM says its sales dropped 18.2 percent for the month.
Toyota sales had fallen 21.4 percent for the month. Both companies were hurt by a sluggish economy and poor sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles.
GM on Tuesday reported selling 262,329 vehicles for the month, compared with Toyota's 193,234.
For the first half of the year, GM sales were down 16.3 percent compared with the year-ago period. Toyota sales were down 6.8 percent for the first six months of the year.
(This version CORRECTS GM's percentage decline to 18.2 percent, sted 18 percent; corrects GM sales to 262,329, sted 265,937, which included heavy trucks. AP reports light vehicle sales only).)

I don't see that there was ever a threat anyway, even before the drops, GM had a sales lead of about 30%, the difference in their performance would have to have been astronomical for Toyota to overtake GM.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by eyedoc

fueleconomy.gov


2009 corvette = 26mpg hwy v8 6.2l
1996 supra = 22mpg hwy v6 3.0l

That comparison doesn't really work because the Corvette is 13 years newer...

[DOGSTOY06]

excellent point. chevy is on the vurge of taking a header really fast.their truck sales,they can't give em away. garber chevy by my house had a used 2006 vette listed for 26k. check a 96 supra resale asking price 35-50k.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by DOGSTOY06

excellent point. chevy is on the vurge of taking a header really fast.their truck sales,they can't give em away. garber chevy by my house had a used 2006 vette listed for 26k. check a 96 supra resale asking price 35-50k.

Well the prices also are different. You can get new vettes anytime you want. The Supra has been discontinued for more than 10 years and not that many were made to start with, over the years people wreck them and there are less and less on the road which drives the price higher and higher. Supply and demand at its best.