Out with the old and in with the new, higher Toyota pricing as the Yen hurts competitiveness.
The strong Japanese Yen is making itself felt on this side of the Pacific Ocean as Japanese automakers continue to raise prices. Japanese automakers are facing an unprecedented change in their competitiveness – they no longer have a price advantage over the Detroit Three or Korean automakers. In fact, companies that are heavily dependent on Japanese production of components and vehicles have a price disadvantage amounting to thousands of dollars per vehicle.
The latest increase comes from Toyota, which announced that the Yaris sub-compact, Tundra full-size pickup truck and Sienna minivan all will be more expensive for the 2012 model year. Toyota had previously raised prices 1% – 2% in May. And thus far the price increases haven’t hurt Japan’s largest automaker, which is still recovering from earthquake induced shortages.
When the revised Yaris enters its second generation this fall some of the price hike will be disguised with what’s said to be than $1,000 of additional standard equipment, comparable to a Convenience Package-equipped current generation Yaris. Nonetheless, Yaris – the least expensive Toyota on sale in the U.S. – will start at close to $15,000.
The base Yaris MSRP will range from $14,115 for the L grade three-door liftback with a five-speed manual transmission to $17,200 for the SE grade five-door liftback with a four-speed automatic transmission. The prices for the 2012 Yaris will go into effect with the start of production on August 31.
(Toyota MSRPs do not include a delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $760 for Toyota passenger cars, $810 for Toyota small/medium trucks, and $975 for large trucks (Sequoia and Tundra only).
Pricing for most Sequoia models remain unchanged. The MSRP for the 2012 Sequoia ranges from $40,930 for the 4×2 SR5 with a 4.6-liter V8 to $61,805 for the 4×4 Platinum grade equipped with the 5.7-liter V8, reflecting an increase of $239, 0r 0.4%.
Pricing for the 2012 Tundra ranges from $27,115 for the 4×2 Tundra Grade Double Cab V6 with a five-speed automatic transmission to $43,345 for the 4×4 CrewMax Limited with a 5.7-liter V8 and 6-speed automatic, reflecting an increase of $348, or 1.1%. Prices for the 2012 Tundra will go into effect beginning with start of production on September 1.
All-new in 2011 model year, the Sienna van carries over virtually unchanged. Pricing for the Sienna will range from $24,520 for the front-wheel-drive Base grade to $40,570 for the all-wheel-drive Limited, reflecting an overall increase of $174 or 0.5%. Prices for the 2012 Sienna will go into effect beginning with the start of production on September 6.
