Another sedan is in the mix.
The Toyota Avalon is the latest sedan to fall in the wake of SUV dominance. The 2022 model year marks the end of a 25-year-old run for Toyota’s flagship four door.
According to reports, the word came from an official communication between Toyota and its suppliers. Automotive News reported that Toyota’s purchasing division slipped the information to suppliers, telling them in a letter that Avalon production would cease at its Georgetown, Kentucky plant after the 2022 model year.
In a statement, Toyota confirmed that the news was received by Motor1.com. A spokesperson for Toyota confirmed that Avalon production would continue at the Tianjin, China plant of the automaker. The big sedan will be available for sale in China for at most a short time.
The Avalon was first introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in 1994. It debuted as a 1995 model. Although the full-size sedan was popular, it wasn’t a dominant player in the market. However, one could argue that it was not meant to be a luxury Camry alternative. The current-generation Avalon was introduced in 2018, moving from Toyota’s enduring K platform and to the TNGA–K architecture. The model was offered in a more powerful TRD trim, but horsepower did not change. The Avalon TRD was more aggressive with suspension tuning and a louder exhaust note to add a little excitement.
Year-over-year sales data suggests that buyers were not very interested in the Avalon, TRD trim, or any other new Avalon. The US saw just 27,767 Avalon sales in 2019, the first year of the fifth-generation Avalon. It was also the last normalyear for new car sales. This was 17.3% less than 2018 and only 18,421 sales in 2020. This was a 33.7 percent drop. However, Toyota reported 10,328 Avalons sales mid-year 2021 which was a increaseof 36.6 percent. The Avalon still ranks far and away behind the Camry’s 177.671 sales, and the RAV4’s 183.360 mid-year 2021 stats.
It is not clear if Toyota will offer an Avalon final-edition delivery. We don’t know whether Toyota will replace the Avalon by another vehicle produced at its Kentucky plant. The Georgetown plant also produces the Camry and Lexus E350.