The successor to the unpopular Lexus SC has been cancelled, according to a new report. A redesigned version of slow-selling convertible was originally supposed to go on sale in early 2009, and was later pushed back to 2011. Now it appears the car has been cancelled altogether.
Lexus sold just 1,200 SC hardtop convertibles in the first six months of this year, down 40 percent from the first half of 2007. According to Edmunds, top executives decided the Japanese automaker simply could not justify redesigning and manufacturing the car. It’s not clear when the existing SC will go out of production.
Over at the Toyota brand, the Avalon sedan might suffer a similar fate. According to the report, the company is investigating whether the 2012 Camry can double as a replacement to the Avalon, too. How? By offering a long-wheelbase version of the redesigned Camry. Look for the new Camry to go on sale in the middle of 2011.
The existing Avalon uses the Camry platform, but Toyota could likely save money by having one exterior design and one nameplate to market, rather than two.
