What's in a name?

[estate]

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/toyota-corolla-enters-an-exciting-new-era

Good to see the old name restored. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Posted earlier this morning - 

 

[olddriver]

Yeah but it is still a swear word Awful Auris, nothing like my good old Corolla or a "good old puppy"as it was called by a mechanic in a Ford garage!

 

Is it because the Auris is not selling very well?

[estate]

Baught my first Toyota in 1984, a corolla Gli after getting fed up of being a member of the "British under the bonnet club", never looked back, served me over 200,000mls with very little problems. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, olddriver said:

Is it because the Auris is not selling very well?

The Auris range was reduced to five trim levels and the diesel engines dropped for this year, presumably in preparation for the new Corolla coming out in 2019 and in line with Toyota's aim to move away from diesel for the majority of their passenger cars - so sales this year aren't really representative. 

UK sales across the range have reduced since 2007 - from a UK peak of 122,500 in 2005, dipping to as low as 73,500 in 2011, and were back up again in 2017 to 101,692.

Of course the Corolla has continued in Europe in saloon form since 2007 (built in Turkey) - effectively a saloon version of the Auris - but as saloons aren't popular in the UK, it hasn't been part of Toyota GB's range since then. It has been available in Ireland though.

 

[Heidfirst]

3 hours ago, olddriver said:

Yeah but it is still a swear word Awful Auris, I think that you will find that it is derived from the latin for gold (aurum). Might as well have Crummy Corolla 😛

Is it because the Auris is not selling very well? Auris seems to be selling pretty well throughout Europe, in the top 10 of it's sector which I imagine that they are happy with at this stage in it's life.

 

[Heidfirst]

~ 14,500 sold in the UK in 2017 http://media.toyota.co.uk/wp-content/files_mf/1534780067ToyotaUKbymodelToyota6518.pdf

~ 114,000 throughout Europe in 2017

Obviously not having diesel options does have an impact in areas where diesel is still popular/much cheaper but hybrid option gains them some sales where others don't offer any/as good option.

[FROSTYBALLS]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

UK sales across the range have reduced since 2007 - from a UK peak of 122,500 in 2005, dipping to as low as 73,500 in 2011, and were back up again in 2017 to 101,692.

These are total UK sales of passenger cars, not just the Auris - taken from Toyota GB's published sales figures 1965-2018.

[yossarian247]

The garage I use for MOTs has always insisted on referring to my Auris as a Corolla anyway. Even his invoices state 'Toyota Corolla'. 

I can never understand why companies spend decades building up a recognised product name or brand name only to scrap it, then admit defeat a few years later and bring it back. Eg Royal Mail and Consignia, Motorola and Lenovo etc.