Yaris sales hit new low...

[juicyjosh]

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?

I know I wouldn't.

There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.

But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.

I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.

Hopefully this helps ppl to not lose any sleep over this car's demise.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by juicyjosh

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?
.

I owned an 07 yaris and now a 14 yaris. the 14 is a little longer, has different sheet metal, a different interior, is definitely quieter, has a better ride, gets a little better mileage, and is safer. it is definitely a different generation yaris. so no, a 2014 yaris is not a 2005 yaris.

the 2007 charade is a 2nd gen yaris that was simply given the charade name, and that was just to make it as easy as possible for diahatsu to carry on in those markets. who cares? nobody here, im sure.

at 2300 lbs, I will gladly buy lots of 100-ish horsepower cars. the fiat 500, at 101 hp, is the most fun car ive had since a 1980 vw rabbit. the service experience more than the car led me away from fiat.

if hp is ones only determining factor then you will always be chasing more hp. for many small car drivers, hp is not a major determining factor.

we will see, in the next 10-15 years, more subcompacts, perhaps even diesels, with a little more torque but under 100 hp.

would I buy a 100 hp car in 2014?......heck, id buy a 85 hp diesel subcompact in a second.

[why?]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

I'm assuming (from a U.S. perspective only, of course) that you mean when what we call the ECHO first came out ? The base pice on the 07 5M USDM 3-door was at least 11k+, IIRC.
I agree.
Good points. The only one of those that matters to me personally is the 6-speed manual (which of course the Yaris has in other markets ).
()
What percentage or fraction of your ability to do the above is attributable,do you think, to the fact that you've removed your rear seating area, and other items . Even if I could squeeze a couple more MPG out of an automatic over the same car with a manual, I'd still want the manual (as long as the model in question isn't really heavy) knowing I could push the car and compression start it in a pinch if I needed to do that.
Yep +++ .

Actually the base 2007 Yaris was $9999. And the 6 speed Yaris manual in other countries has a much better ratio for gas mileage than our 5th gear does, our 5th gear is totally useless.

As to my gas mileage, very little. My 2nd tank of gas I managed to hit 44 mpg. The car was completely stock, and I still have no idea how I managed it. A better sorted gear box would make it easier.

Originally Posted by Flipper_1938

I personally don't want stop-start or direct injection. Neither of those technologies are proving to be trouble free.

I really would prefer my existing yaris didn't have ABS (ASB= Anti-Stop Brakes)

A 6 speed manual trans would be nice though.

stop start is simply a better battery/heavy duty starter. Other countries, such as Japan, they are standard and have been for quite a while.

While Direct Injection has had some odd problems, I am sure they will be taken care of, and the benefits are massive. A 2liter turbo Mercedez Benz can get a 26/38 EPA rating, am I really suppose to believe a Yaris cannot match that?

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

I was going by a general assumption that the set up on a 6-speed vs a 5-speed (on average) would allow the 6-speed to be at a lower rpm (and likely higher MPG) than the 5-speed at the same MPH.
If one wound through the gears ALWAYS at a low rpm (trying to get to 5th or 6th as quickly as possible without 'bogging'), wouldn't the diminished efficiency of more gears to 'row'/'wind' through be minimal, or almost non existent ?

Totally non existent if you do it right, and much better than a "three speed." That is just absurd. If you shift our current 5 speed at 1500 rpm's, you are in 5th before you hit 25 or so. And if we had a 6 speed and better gearing it would help gas mileage.

Originally Posted by bronsin

In most six speed transmissions the highest speed is equal to or lower than the comparable highest speed in a five speed, four speed etc.
It is unusual for it to be higher which would result in lower rpms.
If you accelerated the engine to the same rpm in a six, five, and four speed transmission before shifting up you would have slightly less mpg the more speeds you shifted through. More speeds does NOT mean more mpg. The eight speed autos Chrysler and others have come out with are just pulling the wool over the eyes of the unwary consumer.
However as you suggest the difference might not be much or even noticeable in practical experience.
And a three speed transmission would not be as adaptable to varying road conditions as a six, five, or even four speed.
HOWEVER!
Manufacturers are guilty of misleading the public in many things. All the time they were increasing the size, weight, and displacement of cars like the Corolla they said "And the mileage is improved!"
Not so.
My sister in law had something like an 85 Camry that got 38 mpg around town while my wifes 05 Camry gets 22.
If you have your heart set on a six speed (soon to be SEVEN speed!) before purchasing get a print out of the final drive ratio of each speed and compare it to the five speed. In many case there IS no five speed to compare it to!
BUT you can always SKIP gears as I did on my motorcycles when going cross country or commuting to work. I shifted my ST1100 and 1300 1-3-5.

The Yaris six speed box has a lower 6th speed, which would result in much better gas mileage.

Originally Posted by juicyjosh

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?
Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?
I know I wouldn't.
There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.
But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.
I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.
Hopefully this helps ppl to not lose any sleep over this car's demise.

Love it, but it is also really an Echo from the turn of the century. And they keep a lot of the good stuff out of the USA.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by why?

Actually the base 2007 Yaris was $9999

I notice that your join date = before I purchased my Yaris. IIRC, The Yaris was first available in May of 2006 in the U.S. as a 2007 model. Perhaps the $9999 = the initial arrivals, and then by October a price increase had gone into effect. The base price of my base model purchased on October 7th, 2006 was $11,050.00.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by roxy1

I owned an 07 yaris and now a 14 yaris. the 14 is a little longer, has different sheet metal, a different interior, is definitely quieter, has a better ride, gets a little better mileage, and is safer. it is definitely a different generation yaris. so no, a 2014 yaris is not a 2005 yaris.

the 2007 charade is a 2nd gen yaris that was simply given the charade name, and that was just to make it as easy as possible for diahatsu to carry on in those markets. who cares? nobody here, im sure.

at 2300 lbs, I will gladly buy lots of 100-ish horsepower cars. the fiat 500, at 101 hp, is the most fun car ive had since a 1980 vw rabbit. the service experience more than the car led me away from fiat.

if hp is ones only determining factor then you will always be chasing more hp. for many small car drivers, hp is not a major determining factor.

we will see, in the next 10-15 years, more subcompacts, perhaps even diesels, with a little more torque but under 100 hp.

would I buy a 100 hp car in 2014?......heck, id buy a 85 hp diesel subcompact in a second.

After reading JuicyJosh's post I was mulling over my response. No need. You hit the nail on the head.

[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

After reading JuicyJosh's post I was mulling over my response. No need. You hit the nail on the head.

QFT!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

QFT!

..........well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 the customizable cars.com search engine (that roxy1 posted a link to a while back.....can pull the Yaris inventory for the whole united states) showed 22 manual transmission 2014 Yari (3 SE and 19 L). Seven of the L = in my preferred colors of White and Silver..... 4 in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Ohio, and one in Illinois (in Naperville, where another YW member bought a 2014). Only 3 of the 7 = discounting anything off off the base MSRP...Toyota of Lakewood in FL, Royal Palm Toyota in FL (55 miles farther north), and the dealer in Naperville, IL. I honed in on the cheapest listing, posted by Toyota of Lakewood. It's still listed (at least as of a 1/2 hour or so ago) on cars.com with lots of pics ()...but it's not available. I'm in Dunedin, FL right now and I just parked it a few minutes ago.


The $12,866 on my car on cars.com = the $1,564 off the $14,430 base sticker MSRP..adding the 860.00 'destination' (on the MFR sticker on all new cars) = $13,720. In comparison, Royal Palm's Silver 3door = $13,888 ($542 off the $14,430 base MSRP) + 860.00 destination = $14,748...and the Naperville, IL dealer's $14,444 on cars.com does include destination, so = $13,584 + 860.00 desdination = $14,444. This Naperville, IL car has been sitting there since March 2014.

The car I bought had TDIO (Toyota Distributor Installed Options ) included on the factory sticker (but listed separately from the base MSRP and the 'destination' that is on all facrory stickers). Toyota only has two remaining independently owned distributors--Southeast Toyota, and Gulf States Toyota--covering a total of 10 U.S. states. My car has a TDIO package (listed on the original MFG sticker) that retailed for $946.00 and I negotiated that down to $790.00. My TDIO package original priced included -- #1 - $399 for the rear spoiler (something I like, and would have cost $435 if I had it put on at my local Toyota dealer in TX), #2 - $299 - for the 4 floor mats (a total rip off...I look at the $156.00 discount I negotiated off the package as coming off of this...the 4 floor mats on my 2007 = on the factory sticker as an option = about $150.00. #3 - $199 for film -- same idea as the 3M Clear Bra, but also included 3 additional areas (each door, and the 'load sill'/top of the rear bumper), and #4 - $49 for a Connection Package - 4 items - Apple 30 pin cable, Apple Lightening cable, a USB micro or mini cable, and a 12v USB plug). The Royal Palm car didn't have the TDIO/Spoiler pkg, and of course the Illinois car didn't because Illinois is not one of the 10 states that is covered by the independent distributors (Southeast and Gulf States).

A dealer PAC sticker of about 1k (..the existence of PAC stickers has p****d me off since I was a little kid) was added to the car when the dealer put it in inventory. It included a pinstripe with lifetime reapplication, lifetime nitrogen for the tires, and a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head. Adding that PAC sticker to the price must have completely went out the window when they put it on cars.com. I didn't expect them to include the PAC sticker items as benefits to me (because they never tried to add even $1 re those items), but the benefits were included (good idea on their part...potentially generates foot traffic at a pretty low cost).

The rest = sales tax (at the higher TX rate in my zip code), licensing, titling, etc (300+, IIRC, total in addition to the sales tax (the government fees = ). The total out the door/including all (above) was $15,990. They let me put $5,000 on Visa to get the Frequent Flier miles (I'd already put a $5k payment on my card (separate from the balance I pay off every month)...creating a way less than zero balance...to represent the charge. This was the most any dealer has let me do (dealer feeling re VISA transaction fees = ). When I bought my blue Yaris, the dealer let me do the same thing, but only for $2,000 OR $2,500 (I can't remember which). I did a bank guaranteed check for the other $10,990. All in all, I'm satisfied. I'm heading back to Texas tomorrow.

P.S. I was going to drive to Florida and sell my blue Yaris to Carmax (or to the dealer if they offered me more), but over the weekend I asked myself why....because I can't fit both into my garage?.....because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year). I decided to keep my blue Yaris (I'll reevaluate as needed re repairs...no repairs needed at this time...but on the horizon). I redeemed a small portion of my mileage balance and flew to Florida instead.

^^^^^ Added P.S. on 8-13-2014


P.P.S. - On 9-9-2014 I got a refund check from the dealership for the amount they overcharged me for the sales tax and the titling -- the check was for $312.77 ---- This reduced my out the door cost to $15,677.23

[marcar72]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

..........well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 ...

Hey congratulations! Good for you! I got my 2014 L manual out the door from Libertyville, IL for $15,872 so you did real good!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by marcar72

Hey congradulations! Good for you! I got my 2014 L manual out the door from Libertyville, IL for $15,872 so you did real good!

Thanks!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

:because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year).

I just got the hard copy/declarations page in the mail yesterday, and the increase turned out to be less....$140.00 per year more to insure two, rather than one.

P.S. I was at AAA anyway late this afternoon. so I chatted with an agent re recent mailings. Turns out the system wasn't reading that my 2014 = a new car, so the added amount for the second car is even less...$128.00 per year rather than $140.00.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

..........well, I just increased slumping sales by one. As of last Friday 8/8/14 the customizable cars.com search engine (that roxy1 posted a link to a while back.....can pull the Yaris inventory for the whole united states) showed 22 manual transmission 2014 Yari (3 SE and 19 L). Seven of the L = in my preferred colors of White and Silver..... 4 in Florida, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Ohio, and one in Illinois (in Naperville, where another YW member bought a 2014). Only 3 of the 7 = discounting anything off off the base MSRP...Toyota of Lakewood in FL, Royal Palm Toyota in FL (55 miles farther north), and the dealer in Naperville, IL. I honed in on the cheapest listing, posted by Toyota of Lakewood. It's still listed (at least as of a 1/2 hour or so ago) on cars.com with lots of pics ()...but it's not available. I'm in Dunedin, FL right now and I just parked it a few minutes ago.


The $12,866 on my car on cars.com = the $1,564 off the $14,430 base sticker MSRP..adding the 860.00 'destination' (on the MFR sticker on all new cars) = $13,720. In comparison, Royal Palm's Silver 3door = $13,888 ($542 off the $14,430 base MSRP) + 860.00 destination = $14,748...and the Naperville, IL dealer's $14,444 on cars.com does include destination, so = $13,584 + 860.00 desdination = $14,444. This Naperville, IL car has been sitting there since March 2014.

The car I bought had TDIO (Toyota Distributor Installed Options ) included on the factory sticker (but listed separately from the base MSRP and the 'destination' that is on all facrory stickers). Toyota only has two remaining independently owned distributors--Southeast Toyota, and Gulf States Toyota--covering a total of 10 U.S. states. My car has a TDIO package (listed on the original MFG sticker) that retailed for $946.00 and I negotiated that down to $790.00. My TDIO package original priced included -- #1 - $399 for the rear spoiler (something I like, and would have cost $435 if I had it put on at my local Toyota dealer in TX), #2 - $299 - for the 4 floor mats (a total rip off...I look at the $156.00 discount I negotiated off the package as coming off of this...the 4 floor mats on my 2007 = on the factory sticker as an option = about $150.00. #3 - $199 for film -- same idea as the 3M Clear Bra, but also included 3 additional areas (each door, and the 'load sill'/top of the rear bumper), and #4 - $49 for a Connection Package - 4 items - Apple 30 pin cable, Apple Lightening cable, a USB micro or mini cable, and a 12v USB plug). The Royal Palm car didn't have the TDIO/Spoiler pkg, and of course the Illinois car didn't because Illinois is not one of the 10 states that is covered by the independent distributors (Southeast and Gulf States).

A dealer PAC sticker of about 1k (..the existence of PAC stickers has p****d me off since I was a little kid) was added to the car when the dealer put it in inventory. It included a pinstripe with lifetime reapplication, lifetime nitrogen for the tires, and a few other things I can't think of off the top of my head. Adding that PAC sticker to the price must have completely went out the window when they put it on cars.com. I didn't expect them to include the PAC sticker items as benefits to me (because they never tried to add even $1 re those items), but the benefits were included (good idea on their part...potentially generates foot traffic at a pretty low cost).

The rest = sales tax (at the higher TX rate in my zip code), licensing, titling, etc (300+, IIRC, total in addition to the sales tax (the government fees = ). The total out the door/including all (above) was $15,990. They let me put $5,000 on Visa to get the Frequent Flier miles (I'd already put a $5k payment on my card (separate from the balance I pay off every month)...creating a way less than zero balance...to represent the charge. This was the most any dealer has let me do (dealer feeling re VISA transaction fees = ). When I bought my blue Yaris, the dealer let me do the same thing, but only for $2,000 OR $2,500 (I can't remember which). I did a bank guaranteed check for the other $10,990. All in all, I'm satisfied. I'm heading back to Texas tomorrow.

P.S. I was going to drive to Florida and sell my blue Yaris to Carmax (or to the dealer if they offered me more), but over the weekend I asked myself why....because I can't fit both into my garage?.....because insurance might be a bit more?...I decided these were dumb reasons (and I later learned the iinsurance increase = $150 something per year). I decided to keep my blue Yaris (I'll reevaluate as needed re repairs...no repairs needed at this time...but on the horizon). I redeemed a small portion of my mileage balance and flew to Florida instead.

UPDATE: On 8/27/2014 I was finally (at the tax office for my county in Texas) able to see that my Yaris had been added to the TxDOT system (added on 8/25/2014). My local tax office said they were fine with the amount paid to the Florida Department of Revenue (reciprocal agreement between Texas and Florida), and that I didn't owe them any money. I noticed that the amount the dealer paid the Florida Departrment of Revenue was almost $250.00 less than they charged me . I also noticed that the title amount (which they sent to Texas) was less than what they collected from me . I was mainly concerned about getting the extra sales tax money back. I found evidence on an obscure PDF on the Florida Department of Revenue site re what they should have charged me (...if the car is to be titled out of state, then the tax rate for the 'to be titled in state' applies....in Texas FOR OTHER ITEMS = 6.25-8.25% depending (usually) on zip code...BUT Autos = 6.25% statewide), and also found out how to channel a complaint. However I decided to wait until the end of the month + about 7 business days to see if their accounting department would catch the error. In the interim, I got the plates (tax office in Texas mailed them to the dealer in Florida), but no check included. HOWEVER, I GOT THE REFUND CHECK TODAY. -- $312.77 -- This brings my OUT THE DOOR TOTAL TO $15,677.23.

They originally charged me 8.25% -- said they have a computerized system that goes by your zip code that arrived at this percentage (a dealer in Tennessee I spoke with uses the same system and said this is proper/following the law). Only problem = the company that developed this didn't get the amounts right. The dealer ended up paying the State of Florida re the rate for Manatee County (where the dealer is) --- 6.5% for the first $5,000.00 and 6% for the rest. They charged me over $1100. They paid the State of Florida $882.27, but should have paid them $857.12 (a straight 6.25% sales tax (Texas Auto Rate) re out of state titling)...a $25.15 difference. The $312.77 represented the sales tax difference between what they paid the State of Florida and what they charged me, PLUS the difference between what they charged me for what was listed as titling and what they paid for me here in Texas, PLUS $7.00. This left only an $18.15 difference re the sales taxtax. However, they undercharged me by $61.00 on the destination charge, but added a small title prep fee....so it all evened out in the end. I'm happy.

[Kal-El]

Delayed August sales update:

A measly 523 units sold! A new, new low. Down 82.5% from last August.

Remember, July saw 686 units sold.

Camry: 44,713 (1 month before new model!)
Corolla: 33,088

[Superfly]

Originally Posted by juicyjosh

Guys and gals, we all realize the 2014 Yaris is a 2005 Yaris, which is a 2007 Daihatsu Charade..., right?

Would YOU buy a 2005 100-hp FWD car... TODAY IN 2014?

I know I wouldn't.

There's also a minimal commission payout to Toyota sales reps for selling the Yaris, so the sales reps aren't going to be pushing these cars to begin with. The point is significant: Salespeople aren't going to spend 4 hours to trying to convince someone to buy a cheaply-made car hoping to make $1xx.00 commission when they can much more easily sell a "nicer" Camry or Corolla and make $3xx.00.

But Toyota's milking the 2005 Yaris (a.k.a. 2007 Daihatsu Charade) for all it's worth. The 2012-on Yaris has an exterior and interior refresh, but it's only a facelift. Like everything else in life, what's inside is more important. In the case of the Yaris, the engine, drivetrain, suspension are all circa 2005. (So the 2012 SE has disks in the rear; There's so little weight back there that there's no significant performance benefit.) However for 2012, Toyota remapped the ecu for "softer" throttle response to get an extra 1 mpg City and Highway for the MT. Thanks Toyota for completing the initially only partially botched castration of what little cojones this car ever had to begin with.

I leased the car because of a unique situation I was in at the time where I needed something cheap with Toyota reliability, and I had no time to be working on cars. And I got a 5-speed fwiw. At least it was cheaper than the auto, and I'm averaging 29 mpg on 87 octane, which isn't bad, though could be better for a 2300-lb. car with a very optimistic 106-hp rating.

It has nothing to do with the Yaris having low-end hp numbers. People are buying Fiat 500s, Smart ForTwos and Prius C's and all have low hp.

But I agree with most of the rest of your post. Toyota has no idea what to do with the Yaris because they have the Corolla and the Prius C. The former offers more room, a more powerful engine, a solid reputation for reliability and updated options. The latter offers high fuel economy and similar size. Both have minimally higher MSRPs which can (and are at this moment) offset with enticing/generous incentives such as 0% financing and cash back. The Yaris competitors offer similar things. How can the Yaris sell if it is being killed by it's own family line-up not to mention updated competitors?

I love this damned car but Toyota is failing it miserably. As I stated in several other threads, something has to change. Cut the entire production line to one model (the cheapest configuration) and turn it into your lowest priced, stripper model; tune or change the engine and tranny and redesign the sheet metal and turn it into a hot hatch; shrink the dimensions and make it a Fiat, Spark and Mini competitor; drop the Yaris from Toyota and place it under the Scion badge; offer more colors or interior options. Something has to give. I am waiting to see the 2016 model. It should give us all a good indication of what direction Toyota is headed (although I would argue pawning off production to Mazda is probably a good sign TMC is letting the Yaris drift to it's own demise).

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Superfly

The former offers more room

Which some people don't care about....they'd rather have more parking options.

a more powerful engine

It's an economy car. If power is such an important concern, why buy an economy car?

a solid reputation for reliability

As does the Yaris.

The latter offers high fuel economy and similar size

.

But increased complexity that can drive up costs in the long run.....and it doesn't offer a manual transmission

How can the Yaris sell if it is being killed by it's own family line-up not to mention updated competitors?

The Prius c should have been called the Yaris Hybrid in the U.S., IMO. That it wasn't...and that that was the correct decision from a marketing standpoint...IMO, shows an insecure bandwagon mentality on the part of U.S. consumers.

Cut the entire production line to one model (the cheapest configuration) and turn it into your lowest priced, stripper model; tune or change the engine and tranny and redesign the sheet metal and turn it into a hot hatch; shrink the dimensions and make it a Fiat, Spark and Mini competitor; drop the Yaris from Toyota and place it under the Scion badge; offer more colors or interior options.

All good ideas.