the fall of the celica/ mr2

[Renesis]

hey umm... i have some rather interesting news.. i cant give the source as it was on the new scc magazine and they dont have that up for awhile..

anyway, apparently toyota announced that they will not make any more celicas or mr2s past the 2006 season..

im pretty peeved, i liked both cars and im sorry that they must go. but at the same time im excited to think what toyota will replace them with!
what do you guys think?

[TheOne]

last i though is that that was only gonna happen in canada, no more celica's or mr2's up there, but here in the US thery would still be makin'em

[drakkie]

i think they will keep the MR2, and dump the celica.the mr2 is a bit more affordable and sells more.

[whiteballz]

i dont know why you think that drakkie, i mean, here in australia, MR2's are more expensive then the celica, and sell ALOT less...

[Renesis]

and i quote:
"In July Toyota announced that neither the Celica nor the MR2 Spyder would live to see the 2006 model year"

July? why am I just finding this out in september?

"That means the Celica will have completed 35 years of continuous sales in the UNited Stated when its put down for good. And the MR2 Spyder dies 21 years after the first MR2 was announced (though it was out of production 1995 to 2000).
Why kill the two? "The Celica and MR2 have been a favorite amongst sports car enthusiasts since their introduction into the United States," said Don Esmond, general manager of the Toyota Devision, in a release. "The past few years, however, have been very challenging for both the Celica and the MR2, as competition in a segment where 'whats new' dominates.""

and now that delicate feeling where confusion sets in

"and we continue to add more exciting and youthful products to the lineup such as the Matrix and Corolla XRS, Solara sports coupe, and recently the [awful] Scion xA, xB, and tC."

[Renesis]

so i guess this is only in the US

[85RX7]

sorta sux to hear that. They will probably replace them with a couple more modles like the prius or somthing, that just seems to me like the toyota style.

[PerfAdv]

Toyota is all about sales figures. Eversince the 2nd gen Integra Celica sales have suffered. As for the MR-S, it's just to expensive for power-hungry American consumers. A 138Hp for 25K is too much. Hopefully, Toyota will have something other than the Scion TC to replace these cars. TCs are pretty nice and have that TRD S/C.

[phathash]

this is obviously the demise of performance Toyotas forever. both the mr2 and the celica have got softer since the last generation and toyotas decision to axe them is the final nail in the coffin
RIP Supra Celica and MR2

hopefully toyota will pass the performnce flame over to lexus. after all the supra was originally going to be badged as a lexus GT................

[Blue Supra]

heheh i dont think itll be the end of perforance toyotas, last i heard theres a gen 5 supra in planning...

[IBrake4Rainbows]

This announcement is only for Americans, the Celica and MR2 will be sold in other parts of the world until they have a Model change. To be honest the styling of the MR2, and the fact it completely changed character from what people knew it as, and the Celicas Dated handling and peaky engine, have seen them both fall. All they need is to perk them up again with a re-do, people love cheap, fast cars.

I doubt however, that either will last for very long considering the American market is such a big deal for Toyota.

Perhaps rebadge them as Scions?

[jcp123]

Yeah I hope they get somehting better than the Celica...kinda pathetic if you ask me. The MR2's only a few more hp from being pretty decent though.

[Blue Supra]

theyre both pretty hot cars! i love em becasue theyre toyotas but theyre both still good cars, they Celicas been around for donkeys! Id hate to see it leave and the MR2s one of the better mid mounted sports cars to come out Japan...

[jcp123]

oh, don't get me wrong, i was just talkin about the current models. i like the older celicas myself...

[Meltdown]

They need to redesign them both. I honestly don't know what Toyota was thinking when they put out a subcompact car with an msrp of 19,000, rear drum brakes, a 0-60 time in the mid 7s or low 8s, and no trunk room. As if that wasn't enough, they release a 25,000 two seat convertible with a 0-60 in the mid 7's and even less room.

They do have a couple good points: handling and refinement. But, isn't that it? I say, give the mr2 a coupe with more horsepower and a lower price; that should sell better. As for the Celica... who would want it if there is an mr2 coupe out again? Perfect scenario: turboed mr2 coupe for a 20,000 msrp. Advertising wouldn't hurt either... Have you ever seen an mr2 commercial? I wish they still made that 1989 model; it's ugly, but I'd buy it.