Toyota will stop producing the Avalon after the model year 2022 as officially reported by Toyota. The fifth-gen model will be produced by the end of August 2022 in Georgetown, Kentucky where it was originally born and produced since its introduction. In 28 years of production, the Avalon saw its first release back in 1994 as of rising demand for something that was bigger than a Camry yet cheaper than a Lexus ES - and this formula seemed to be working fine by the time SUVs came around, kicking most large sedans out of the game. While most people won’t mourn the death of the Avalon some others might.
Interestingly, the Avalon was released after Toyota had turned down its luxurious Cressida, which faced the same problem as the Avalon today. In its official statement, Toyota mentioned it will still remain focused on the sedan segment and encourages customers to stay tuned for future developments.
Why The Avalon Was Produced In The First Place
Toyota brought the Avalon as an answer to the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile Delta 88. It began production with a simple and very demanding formula for the time - quiet, large and comfortable. The first Avalon had a bench front seat, allowing 6 passengers to ride a smooth trip. This was back when SUVs were not a trend, or they were newbies like the Pontiac Aztek which nobody liked. The car was shaped, designed, and made to ride like the big American sedans with the truthful Toyota formula to last forever. It even had a column-mounted gear selector, just like the American sedans of the time.
Time went by and the Avalon was greatly known for cheap maintenance, hassle-free reliability, but the Avalon always lived under the shadow of the ES 350 and Toyota Camry. The fact being, if buyers were to consider the Avalon over the ES 350, which is almost the same car, they would also consider buying a Camry, or just pay the extra bucks to get a truly luxurious large sedan by going with the Lexus. This made the Avalon sit on the low ground for many years and many models, but it was a great car nonetheless.
The Avalon Will Still Be Produced But For The Chinese Market Only
Toyota will end production in Georgetown, Kentucky - where the Avalon was designed, produced, and sold for the American market, alongside its siblings, the Camry and Lexus ES. Production however will still go on for the Chinese market, where a big portion of consumers are still looking for a large sedan. This brings the core problem and the main reason for Toyota's decision to kill Avalon - sales.
Avalon ceased production because buyers were uninterested in the vehicle. According to the data, only 27,767 units were sold in 2019, a 17.3% decrease from 2018, and a 33.7% decrease in 2020, with a sales volume of only 18,421. According to Forbes Wheels, Toyota was planning to refresh the Avalon but as 10,328 units were sold in 2021 this didn’t make sense as the relatable Camry sold 177,671 units and RAV4 sold 183,360 units, bringing the Avalon to the bottom of the charts in every aspect. It also didn’t quite offer anything special anymore - as the new Camry kept getting bigger, the Avalon was now just 3.8 inches longer and the extra cubic foot in the trunk isn't worth the price difference with the Camry.
The Avalon Is Not Going Alone
The large sedan project was dogged by misfortune in recent year. Volkswagen announced the death of their Passat sedan which was sold in both Europe and America, and many others announcing the end of their large sedans like the Chevrolet Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Azera, Kia Cadenza, and K900.
Nissan Maxima, Chrysler 300, and Dodge Charger remain in this car segment, and it looks like the Chrysler and Dodge will stick around for a few more years.
A Final Take On The Avalon
Some people like to say that the Avalon is the traditional grandad car, and it will run forever no matter what, and this is what makes the Avalon so special. People looking into a large sedan, with comfy seats, cheap maintenance, and a bulletproof engine can’t look any further than an Avalon, unless they got the money to buy a European Mercedes-Benz E-Class which is still smaller, or a gas hog American car like a Buick LaCrosse. At its price point and the fact that it’s a Toyota, the Avalon had all the greatest features of a large sedan, which are no longer wanted by most people today.