In the last few years fuel economy advancements have arrived in quick order, often surprising critics and consumers alike. With the next Avalon, Toyota is apparently planning to drop a shocker worthy of headlines.
While speaking to dealers at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention on Monday, Toyota executives promised that the all-new Avalon, set to debut in April at the New York auto show, will reportedly “meet or beat” the 33 mpg combined rating of the manual transmission-equipped Fiat 500 subcompact hatchback, according to The Detroit Free Press.
If the claim pans out, Toyota would leapfrog its current model, which yields a dismal 20 city, 29 highway mpg. The latest mpg figures promised for the full-size sedan segment include the “at least 31 mpg highway” 2013 Ford Taurus EcoBoost, or the even more impressive 25 city, 36 highway mpg from the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist.
Just how will Toyota net such vastly-improved fuel economy? Toyota will offer a hybrid version of its Avalon, which is likely to use a version of the hybrid system that gives the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid 200 horsepower and a 41 mpg combined rating.
The dealer representatives were also reportedly shown a preview image of the car, but unfortunately no images were allowed to be taken during the presentation.
Other news from the event included the promise of 19 new models (including the Avalon, due in November) coming from Toyota in 2012 alone. The explosion of new and updated models is expected to make up 40 percent of the brand’s total sales in 2012, while just 7 percent of Toyota’s sales came from new models in 2011.
