Bye Bye Corolla, Hello Auris

[ajmat]

The Corolla badge is to be axed. Auris preview below

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/au...the_auris.html

[Mpower]

I wonder why they changed the name. Corolla has a lot of brand equity all over the world. Recently it overtook the old Bug as the biggest selling car in the world ever!

Hopefully this is just for Europe where they always had a hatch.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I wonder why they changed the name.

They've had a history of bringing down successful brandnames and creating new ones - again successfully. The Cressida, a name people swear by even today, gave way to the Camry in this market. The Corona became the Avensis. Does the Crown exist anymore?

[condor]

And the same link says: "A development of the current engine line-up is expected, with 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol units, plus the efficient 2.2 D-4D diesel."

[speedzak]

BUT WHY???

That's the question which comes again and again in mind.

But why?

[ess_a]

Originally Posted by speedzak

BUT WHY???

Exactly what i'm thinking.... A brand that commands instant recognition and these people are thinking of actually phasing out their best seller ever.... They could have easily brought in the next genration corolla without taking panga with the brand name....

[rahul_intlad]

Please visit this site as well:
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/05/d...-next-corolla/

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by speedzak

BUT WHY???

That's the question which comes again and again in mind.

But why?

they may be trying to create a more youthful image. In the US Corolla is boring bland transportation and even the kids prefer Civics.

[ranjan united]

Originally Posted by Mpower

they may be trying to create a more youthful image. In the US Corolla is boring bland transportation and even the kids prefer Civics.

theres a lot of truth in that!

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

They've had a history of bringing down successful brandnames and creating new ones - again successfully. The Cressida, a name people swear by even today, gave way to the Camry in this market. The Corona became the Avensis. Does the Crown exist anymore?

You are right, the Cressida was a fine car and I still see them running around with insane number of miles on the odo.

But I wonder if the creation of Lexus had anything to do with it. If you recall Lexus came at around the same time the premium Toyotas like the Corona and Cressida were killed off. Crown still exists (Singapore Taxi)

[GTO]

I was surprised myself at Toyotas decision of dumping the Corolla brandname. It has just so much recognition around the world. But I guess its an image thing. And the Corolla is clearly shaken up by the fabulous new Civic (and the resultant image vis-a-vis).

With a parent brand as strong as Toyota, they can probably do just well without the Corolla.

[agspins]

I was right ,Toyota's gone crazy what a decision to axe such a valuable brand, it has helped toyota to earn credits all over and suddenly you axe such brand is real shocking.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by speedzak

BUT WHY???

That's the question which comes again and again in mind.

But why?

The brand dividend was on a downswing. While the Toyota Brand was strong the Corolla brand was dipping. It might also have been dragging Toyota downwards.

[Boom Shiva]

I'm actually glad they're doing this proactively, rather than going the typical route and flogging the brand until it's worth nothing.

[Thil]

"Burn the Boats".
That's a really brave and good move from Toyota.I remember a old Greeks story which i read from a business motivation article.I think Toyota just wanted to follow the route .Congrats Toyota!

The ancient Greek warriors were both feared and respected by their enemies. In battle, the Greeks established a well-deserved reputation for their unsurpassed bravery and unshakable commitment to victory. The key to their overwhelming success on the battlefield had far more to do with how the Greek commanders motivated the warriors than it did with issues of tactics or training. The Greeks were master motivators who understood how to use a "dramatic demonstration" to infuse a spirit of commitment into the heart of every warrior. Once the warriors had been offloaded from their boats onto their enemy's shore, the Greek commanders would shout out their first order…"burn the boats!" The sight of burning boats removed any notion of retreat from their hearts and any thoughts of surrender from their heads. Imagine the tremendous psychological impact on the soldiers as they watched their boats being set to the torch. As the boats turned to ash and slipped quietly out of sight into the water, each man understood there was no turning back and the only way home was through victory.