Is Camry the new 'old folks' car?
The Toyota
Camry is one of the most successful cars in the U.S., having outsold all other sedans since 1997. But can it sustain
its crown? Ted Evanoff of the Indianapolis Star writes that the vehicle may be suffering an image problem. "Younger people see the Camry as an older person's car,'' says Art Spinella, an automotive analysts. "It certainly isn't a youth-market vehicle. That's really Toyota's core problem.''
The average age of Camry buyers is 52, ten years higher than buyers of the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. Worse, the world's second largest automaker is facing new rivals such as Hyundai, Kia and future ones like the Chinese automakers. Toyota has General Motor's Buick brand as an example of what can happen when a particular brand's reputation falls. However, states Spinella, "The difference between what Detroit goes through and what Toyota goes through is that for every single problem Toyota has, they put a team on to fix it. Detroit pretends it doesn't exist.''
The revamped Camry is part of Toyota's strategy to 'fix' the sedan's reputation (and sales). Yet, at the same time, the automaker continues to appeal to the younger market with its Scion division and more non-traditional vehicles like the FJ Cruiser. The company's management figures that eventually such buyers will trade up to a Camry, perhaps when they're 52.
[Source: Indianapolis Star]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
max 7:36PM (3/27/2006)
Is Camry the new 'old folks' car?
YES!
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Mad Scientist Matt 7:48PM (3/27/2006)
Well, the Camry certainly lacks one problem that Buick has been facing, namely, that people don't expect Buicks to be as reliable. But the Camry definitely has to be one of the stogiest cars on the planet.
And some of Toyota's attempts to fix that image have been pretty laughable. They've tried to sell it with ads featuring that song "I'm Too Sexy" and an ad where someone got one airborn racing it down streets, back when you couldn't get the V6 model with a stick-shift. It was an effort to change the image with advertising and denial. Hmmm, maybe Toyota stole a page from Detroit's worst play book there.
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kap0w 7:59PM (3/27/2006)
My only question is why people think that it being an old folks car is NEW.
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Cervus 8:00PM (3/27/2006)
I saw a new Camry in the parking lot on the way home today. First time I'd seen one in person.
From behind, the tailights look like slightly-bigger versions of the new Civic coupe. Round tailights seem to be on the way out. Instead there's that angled look (like the new Sonata and Azera). Also, LEDs.
The interior was a soft aluminium color with light faux-wood trim on the console and in the door panels. The console itself was rather minimalist.
The way the front grille sticks out forward between the headlights made me think of a man with a large nose.
All in all, not the car for me.
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iQuack 8:06PM (3/27/2006)
Yep, the Camry (and the Accord also, of course) are old geezer cars but it's important to note the following:
Old folks are experienced and smart.
Young folks are inexperienced and ignorant.
Old folks have money.
Young folks are poor.
Old folks are stiff and ache all the time.
Young folks are lithe and bend easily.
Old folks like practicality.
Young folks like style over substance.
Old folks are quiet.
Young folks are noisy.
Old folks like 4 door cars.
Young folks like coupes.
Young folks are good in bed.
Old folks stay in bed until they have to get up to pee.
There are lots of old folks and their numbers are growing.
Young folks will replace them, but not so damn fast.
There's a HUGE market for cars like the Camry--just watch it sell!
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max 8:07PM (3/27/2006)
"2. My only question is why people think that it being an old folks car is NEW.
Posted at 7:59PM on Mar 27th 2006 by kap0w 0 stars"
I stand corrected.
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Peter 8:11PM (3/27/2006)
I thought the Avalon was the real geriatric vehicle in the Toyota lineup.
Anyway, the fact that Camry buyers have an average age of 52 is bad not so much for Toyota, but for GM and Ford. If it were just young people buying imports, GM and Ford could take some solace in the fact that they'd move back to the domestics as they get older. But if middle-aged and older people are buying Toyotas, when will they move back to GM and Ford ... when they're dead?
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veregrrl 8:13PM (3/27/2006)
It's been the conservative stodgy middle-to-older-age folk's car for some time. I avoid them like the plague because they are usually not only slow, but seem to have a complete lack of understanding about driving etiquette or rules of the road.
With only a few exceptions I can say that many Camry drivers appear to be less imaginative, decisive, and less physically active than Accord or Altima drivers.
Beige cars, beige thoughts, beige world. Bland! That's Camry!
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max 8:17PM (3/27/2006)
"3. Yep, the Camry (and the Accord also, of course) are old geezer cars but it's important to note the following:"
From personal experience-the Accord ISN'T a geezer car.
"Old folks are experienced and smart.
Young folks are inexperienced and ignorant."
No. Old Folks are fixed in their behavior-young folks are more willing to experiment.
"Old folks have money.
Young folks are poor."
WOW. "Senior Citizen on fixed income"-never heard that have you?
"Old folks are stiff and ache all the time.
Young folks are lithe and bend easily."
Well that's for sure-that's why my Dad has an Explorer-he can't get up and down so easily-he's also tall.
"Old folks like practicality.
Young folks like style over substance."
You're joking right?!? Half the guys who read this blgo comment how they love their stylish coupes, sports cars and miatas. Your "poor" young folks are hugely practical.
"Old folks are quiet.
Young folks are noisy."
OH MY LORD!
MATLOCK! MATLOCK! MATLOCK! I WANT MY MATLOCK!
You've never seen the Simpsons have you?!?
"Old folks like 4 door cars.
Young folks like coupes."
No...Sigh.....
"Young folks are good in bed.
Old folks stay in bed until they have to get up to pee."
Sigh.... I'm going to shoot myself at 55.
"There are lots of old folks and their numbers are growing.
Young folks will replace them, but not so damn fast."
I will never collect Social Security.
"There's a HUGE market for cars like the Camry--just watch it sell!"
Noone's arguing it won't, but I'm betting the Azera will take a bite from it.
Posted at 8:06PM on Mar 27th 2006 by iQuack 0 star
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max 8:19PM (3/27/2006)
"6. It's been the conservative stodgy middle-to-older-age folk's car for some time. I avoid them like the plague because they are usually not only slow, but seem to have a complete lack of understanding about driving etiquette or rules of the road.
With only a few exceptions I can say that many Camry drivers appear to be less imaginative, decisive, and less physically active than Accord or Altima drivers.
Beige cars, beige thoughts, beige world. Bland! That's Camry!
Posted at 8:13PM on Mar 27th 2006 by veregrrl 0 stars"
Wow. I completely agree.
Marry me.
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veregrrl 8:40PM (3/27/2006)
Sorry Max, I'd make you old before your time, and I don't want another Camry driver out there!
;-P
PS. For the blog record I used to be a Toyota nut. Haven't owned one or been tempted to own one since I had my last one in the very early '90s (it was a pickup, does that count?). Looking out in my driveway I have 5 practical but sporty sedans and a 5 door hatch, despite being well short of Camry demographics. Life is too short for boring cars!
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starlightmica 8:47PM (3/27/2006)
Mentioned this on a previous comment - someone has to bring down the averages:
Miata purchased age 27 (daily driver)
Camry purchased age 32 (prior kidmobile, now wife's daily driver)
Sienna purchased age 35 (kidmobile)
/premature geezer
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Leo 8:54PM (3/27/2006)
The thing that will really cement Camry in stodgy old folks territory is when the new Altima is unveiled in New York in a couple weeks.
The style war has already been won by Nissan and Mazda. When the new Altima comes out it will be a big time butt whipping.
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Carlos 9:01PM (3/27/2006)
I'm 24, most of my friends are just out of college or in college pursuing higher degrees. We're buying cars in the $15-20k, generally.
I'd say none of us aspire to a Camry. An Accord, sure, especially the coupe. And yet, many of us end up with a Camry anyway. Often it's a hand-me-down. Other times, someone's shopping for a used car, in which case the Camry suddenly carries a lot more weight (not more than an Accord, but as much).
I couldn't stand to own one, but if a friend asks me for a short list of cars to look for, and their priorities are the usual (comfort, reliability, fuel economy), I can't honestly leave the Camry off the list. It's just a good buy.
Some of my most eccentric friends have a Camry. The car hasn't affected their personality, and if yours does you need to lay off the car mags for a while.
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David T. Jump 9:02PM (3/27/2006)
Toyota, Camry? Baloney.. I'm 59, own 3 Chevies, one is a '94 pickup with nearly 200K on the clock, one is a 2004 Trailblazer and one is a 2006 Impala. Beats any Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hundai and Kia every which a way. One of my kids own my old '96 Lumina, looks like it just came out of a showroom, but it has over 100K on the clock.
Nah, the imports and transplants are vastly overrated. Yeah Camry is as bland and generic as it can be. No imagination, no guts and certainly will end up using American designed and built engines when it starts racing in NASCAR next year.
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iQuack 9:05PM (3/27/2006)
Max said, "From personal experience-the Accord ISN'T a geezer car."
Thank you, Max. I'm a geezer so quite experienced in geezerness. Also own an Accord and don't feel like a geezer when driving it.
Maybe the best thing about the new Camry is that competition from it will result in good deals on Accords for those car buyers who want to feel young again.
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Ex Honda Salesman 9:22PM (3/27/2006)
Having sold the Accord, I can tell you that it's not an old folks car. Yes, old people do buy it but it appeals to a wide range of ages.
The camry is definitely an old persons car. I even had old people give up their Camry for an Accord because they didn't want to be seen in an old person's car!
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s 9:23PM (3/27/2006)
The Camry hasn't been the best selling car since 1997. It lost it in 2001 to the best car, the Honda Accord.
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GrowUp 9:25PM (3/27/2006)
Some of my most eccentric friends have a Camry. The car hasn't affected their personality, and if yours does you need to lay off the car mags for a while.
Good line.
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Kirsch 9:25PM (3/27/2006)
#14. Now there's a car connoisseur! TrailBlazer, Lumina and Impala? LOL I hope you intend to drive these beauties into the ground because their resale is quickly approaching zero.
His comment "Beats any Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hundai and Kia every which a way" has no credibility because it's obvious you've never looked anywhere but at Chevrolet. How else would ANYONE buy a fricken LUMINA. What a moron.
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