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  • Cautious Gameplan

  • Toyota is basically an average company that is a little better than most others at trying to predict which way trends are headed. Right now they have an idea that a decently sized market segment of Americans is going to lean towards smaller, more efficient (or more efficient-looking), European style cars in the near future. Their move is to roll our a Smartcar-esque compact Toyota iQ in the U.S. in early 2011: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/29/report-scion-iq-headed-for-america-by-early-2011-with-a-few-cha/ They're being cautious here, but to them this is a move that can jump off or flop, and for the most part this is unproven gray area for the company. Will Americans bite at such a small car? They did with the Mini and Beatle. Will such a radically shaped vehicle be embraced? Well, they make Scions don't they. I think that if American carmakers marketed small European cars correctly, they'd be a smash hit - when things are bad, anything that's extremely different (in this case, different from large gas-guzzlers) is bound to sell. People will want these small, efficient cars.
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