The Yen is killing the Dollar. So for a vehicle manufactured in Japan, could this mean a price increase for 2011?

Dollar sinks to fresh 15-year low against yen - Aug. 24, 2010

That really depends on their margins. They can't price themselves out of the market, so they have to either accept a lower profit margin or move production stateside to lower costs.

This really hurts companies like Sony.

Or Toyota will be forced to cut more corners. 4Runner prices have only crept up a bit in the last 15 years. My mom's '99 Limited had a sticker of a tad over $36k and my SR5 Sport was around $33k so prices haven't jumped much but while some goodies have been added somethings have been deleted or have been replaced with cheaper materials.

Looks like it will be going up this year, but the Limited is slightly cheaper.

From Edmunds:
"The price of entry into a 4Runner will get slightly higher. The base price will be $29,525 -- an increase of $350 over last year, and that price does not include the destination fee of $810. The top trim Limited V6 models in both two- and four-wheel drive are priced $115 less than last year, at $37,670 and $39,685 respectively. Finally, the Trail V6 4WD model went up $105 and will now cost $35,805. The 4Runner was redesigned for the 2010 model year and so the 2011 model has received no major changes. Toyota expects the 2011 models to arrive in dealerships by September. For consumers unsure which model year to go for, here are a few things to keep in mind..."

That's actually an old article. I wonder if we'll see a furthur increase as the Yen keeps heading skyward.

The prices are kept down but they have definitely cut corners in materials and features.

Koz

yeah, this is a really good point... are manufacturer's in general just getting better at cutting corners? are they streamlining their build processes to keep prices down? Cuz prices really haven't gone up like inflation. My loaded 1994 Mitsu Montero was about $35,000.

Considering how the 5th is effectively a big upgrade over the previous gens, the only answer is in the manufacturing of the components. Japan must be having various components, electrical and others, manufactured and assembled in China and Taiwan. Final assembly is occurring in Japan though. Probably the one reason I love the 4Runner. Japanese are sticklers for QC.

Volume does cure many ills, but if volume decreases, Yen increases, the only other option is to increase cost to save margin.

As someone who has sold Japanese products for 50 years, the short answer
is yes. No factory can absorb the coming decline of the dollar in the next several years. Until 1973 the dollar was worth 300 yen, that is when we
allowed the dollar to float, prices doubled very quickly. Current value is
82 yen to the dollar and Japan is fighting to keep it there.
The most likely result will be the end of Japanese assembly for export to
the USA. The 4Runner is a winner in the current format, it could sustain
price increases for some time before this occurs.
This summer I replaced my Japanese 1984 (last year for Japanese assembly) Honda mower with a new one assembled here. I won't get 25 years out of it, the old one with no care was still cranking. That is why you like to have products assembled in Japan.
I plan to keep my 2011 for my new grandson's 16th birthday present. Not many 16 year old vehicles a Texas boy would want.