4Runner 5th Gen Sales

[1engineer]

I disagree. Both vehicles grew marginally larger in their current generation. The size gap is very much comparible.



I can't help but feel that 5th gen owners are somehow bent on making excuses for the sales numbers of the 5th gen 4Runner. At the end of the day, the fact remains that the 5th gen 4Runner is never going to achieve the numbers that the 3rd or 4th gen achieved. There are several reasons for that, so why bother speculating or making excuses? If Toyota is okay with almost 50K sales per year, then that's all that really matters. My guess is that Toyota will decide to kill off either the FJ or the 4Runner by the next gen. If not, they will probably go the soft reader route instead. You know, to keep pace with what people want. LOL.
Then again, they already have the Highlander for those customers.

No excuses. I posted the numbers. Times change. People change. Vehicles change. You can't compare past to present without comparing everything, even though you make a valiant attempt. Quintin is right.

 

[Quentin]

I disagree. Both vehicles grew marginally larger in their current generation. The size gap is very much comparible.



I can't help but feel that 5th gen owners are somehow bent on making excuses for the sales numbers of the 5th gen 4Runner. .

One could say the same about 4th gen owners who hang out in the 5th gen forum complaining about no burger trays and LED tail lights on the 5th gen that is preventing them from "wanting" to upgrade rather than a means of convincing themselves that their older version is superior in every way.

 

[Ivy Mike]

I hope 50,000 units is worth keeping....maybe so if you leverage the platform around the world and various body styles and congress doesn't get stupid with vehicle standards which require expensive modifications for US bound models. The strong yen / weak dollar may be a contributing factor to the sales numbers. We're a small segment, a majority of people want the Highlander type family mobile. The Wrangler Unlimited may be the direct competition for the 4Runner buyers.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Same can be said of the 4Runner. The vast majority of 4Runners never leave the pavement, just like the GC. It's more about image than anything else.

Anyone know the sales numbers for the 2011 & 2012 GC?

Here is a chart of Jeeps sales through June 2012. You would have to double the year to date total to get the full year. Scroll down to the bottom for the chart. Chrysler Group LLC Reports June 2012 U.S. Sales Increased 20 Percent; Best June Sales in Five Years | FinancialContent Business Page
Grand Cherokee sales are typicaly 2-3 times 4runner sales and Wrangler are higher than that.

 

[nw_4Runner]

I can't help but feel that 5th gen owners are somehow bent on making excuses for the sales numbers of the 5th gen 4Runner. At the end of the day, the fact remains that the 5th gen 4Runner is never going to achieve the numbers that the 3rd or 4th gen achieved. There are several reasons for that, so why bother speculating or making excuses?

I think there's plenty of data re: the demise of BOF SUVs - gas prices; CUVs offering more space, more comfort, and better on-road handling (all on a generally smaller foot print); consumer attitudes towards the environment; etc. Further, there are plenty of victims - see a BOF Explorer anymore? What just happened with the Pathfinder? Where's Isuzu after they double-downed on SUVs? What about the Montero?

Shall we assert that homes built in 2006 were far more attractive and better built than homes in 2009 simply because sales of homes in 2009 plunged? Or should you maybe consider the variables surrounding the decline?

I think the only thing that's rubbing folks here is your assertion (by comparing 2003-2005 sales to 2010-2012 in a category that has seen its market share shrink dramatically) that had a 4th gen come out in 2010 it'd have somehow eclipsed a 5th gen in sales.

The 4th gen 4Runner had MUCH stronger sales during its first three years.

2003: 109,308
2004: 114,212
2005: 103,830

But keep in mind gas prices were also a lot less expensive back then as well.

Nonsense without context.

 

[1engineer]

You did a lot more than just post numbers. You tried to come up with several different excuses why the sales numbers are half of what they were. The ironic thing is that I was never saying anything negative about the 5th gen, I was simply stating that the sales numbers aren't what they once were. I wasn't looking for reasons or excuses, I was simply stating facts.

And actually, it was me who posted the sales numbers for the first three years of 4th gen sales when another member asked for them. This wasn't my comparison in the first place; someone else brought it up.

As I said before, no excuses. They are what they are. Not too many people want or need BOF part time lever operated SUV 4X4's anymore. Too many other choices that better fit their lifestyles. They are not indicative of the 4Runner being better or worse than previous generations. Times change and demands change. I simply posted three years of 5th gen 4Runner sales numbers to compare year to year of 5th gen sales in the 5th gen forum to be read by 5th gen owners. Which model of 5th gen do you drive?

*EDIT* I see you drive a 4th gen. My bad.

 

[1engineer]

Yup, and then someone else asked:



And I posted the sales numbers for those three years in response to his question.

BTW, I didn't know that you had to be a 5th gen owner to read/respond to posts in the 5th gen forum. Did I miss that in the forum rules?:bash::nono:

No, not at all. Good luck.

 

[Antman]

I like chocolate.

 

[nw_4Runner]

Lets be honest here. Generally, 5th gen owners tend to get all butt-hurt when someone mentions sales numbers that are lower than the prior generations of 4Runners. .

I never take too much stock in a sentence prefaced with “Lets be honest here”. However, will say, there is zero correlation between butt-hurt and 4Runner sales. Again, nonsense.

I'm not even sure why that should matter.

Apparently it does enough to you. You keep posting it doesn’t matter, but yet the 5th Gen should have better sales. Again, nonsense.

Nobody is saying that the new generation is worse than the older generations.

Have I introduced you to JohnnyT? He’ll tell you the 4th gen is, and then spell out period – even after ending the sentence with one. That’s also nonsense, but he has personality – and like Samuel Jackson says, personality goes a long ways.

 

[1engineer]

Just reading some of the threads in this forum definitely says otherwise. Sorry, but facts are facts, ma'am.



Um....where exactly did I say that 5th gen sales should be better? The only nonsense I see around here is your posts.



LOL...I'm not even sure what you were trying to say there because it makes no sense. But it sure seems like you're trying your hardest to turn this into a 4th gen vs 5th gen debate. Nice try, but I'm not even going there. Too many old threads on that already.:bluejump:

So who are you? Hmmm, let me guess. A poster who has been banned is a given but maybe just an existing one with a new account? Your posts will tell the tale. We shall see. Anyone with a troll icon?

 

[scanny]

Lets be honest here. Generally, 5th gen owners tend to get all butt-hurt when someone mentions sales numbers that are lower than the prior generations of 4Runners.

Only those 4Runners owners who look into buying a new 4Runner in next 10-15 years are hurt by sales number. If sales are less and less every year they might have nothing to drive when their 4Runners reach end of the life.

 

[Ducmonsta]

I think Susan G Komen should spend more money on it's treatments for breast cancer.

 

[Antman]

So who are you? Hmmm, let me guess. A poster who has been banned is a given but maybe just an existing one with a new account? Your posts will tell the tale. We shall see. Anyone with a troll icon?

This should do the trick...









BTW- Duc- liking the new avatar!

 

[H2O_Doc]

I like chocolate.

4th Gen chocolate or 5th Gen chocolate? Everyone knows 5th Gen is the creamiest.

Neener, neener, nee-ner.

 

[Antman]

LOL

Gotta luv how quick people are to use the "troll" term whenever someone disagrees with them. That smacks of an inferiority complex. Personally, I stick to facts when it comes to my arguments instead of resorting to name-calling and silly little labels. But hey, that's just me.:hello:

Damn! Got me.:ybrick:

 

[boondoggle]

I like the 5th Gens, even though I have a 4th (but I'm not here to comment on that).

I was a little intrigued that nobody brought up the FJ cruiser as a BOF alternative to the 4Runner. It's interesting to me because I keep reading about 4Runner alternatives and, I think, for some people the FJ cruiser might fit as an alternative. If you need 4 real doors, forget it, but for a fun off road machine on a great platform with a great power train and reliability to match.

Towards the end of the 4th Gen's life the FJ looks like it was cannabalizing some sales there. Not sure how Toyota felt about that. It doesn't appear to be affecting the 5th Gen sales much in a direct numbers to numbers way, but I wonder if there is any 'coolness' halo effect that goes into the idea of Toyota as a leading 'off road' vehicle manufacturer by having the FJ and the 4Runner sold simultaneously.

Toyota FJ Cruiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Just a thought.

 

[Quentin]

WS, you keep bring up that market share should be bigger by the 4Runner because there are fewer BOF SUVs to choose from. I'm going to throw this analogy out.

Blackberry dominated the smart phone scene for years. Then Apple came out with the iphone and the whole landscape of smartphones changed. Everyone went to touch screens because you got more real estate relative to the footprint. Blackberry continued making their standard style phones for those few that it still fit the needs. The new blackberries were surely better phones than the originals that held such high market share, but there was now touch screen phones from Apple, HTC, etc that fit most customer's needs better. A traditional Blackberry style phone will never meet the marketshare or sales pre-touchscreen, but that doesn't mean that the new phones are worse than the old.

Basically the same things happened here with the 4Runner. People that were buying BOF SUVs started buying unitbody CUVs with full time 4WD and superior interior space because, by and large, the BOF SUVs were just used for hauling the family around and basic winter driving. Like 1engineer said, people found something that fit their basic transportation needs better. Most people prefer cargo and passenger space along with a smooth ride and full time 4WD to compromised road dynamics, selectable 4WD, and compromised space. Everyone essentially decided that a big touchscreen was more important than a fixed keyboard and great enterprise support. Today's CUVs give a lot of the pros of SUVs without a lot of the negatives and thus the market for BOF SUVs has shrank right along with the availability of them. 4Runner sales will never again compare to the early 00s. (Which were free credit, leveraging loans against supposed home value growth days... not the case today.)

Nice little anecdote: my mom went from a BOF explorer to a BOF explorer to a BOF Yukon to a BOF Explorer to a Rav4. She LOVES the Rav4 because it rides so much better than the others and gets far better gas mileage (even her 270hp V6!)

 

[1engineer]

WS, you keep bring up that market share should be bigger by the 4Runner because there are fewer BOF SUVs to choose from. I'm going to throw this analogy out.

Blackberry dominated the smart phone scene for years. Then Apple came out with the iphone and the whole landscape of smartphones changed. Everyone went to touch screens because you got more real estate relative to the footprint. Blackberry continued making their standard style phones for those few that it still fit the needs. The new blackberries were surely better phones than the originals that held such high market share, but there was now touch screen phones from Apple, HTC, etc that fit most customer's needs better. A traditional Blackberry style phone will never meet the marketshare or sales pre-touchscreen, but that doesn't mean that the new phones are worse than the old.

Basically the same things happened here with the 4Runner. People that were buying BOF SUVs started buying unitbody CUVs with full time 4WD and superior interior space because, by and large, the BOF SUVs were just used for hauling the family around and basic winter driving. Like 1engineer said, people found something that fit their basic transportation needs better. Most people prefer cargo and passenger space along with a smooth ride and full time 4WD to compromised road dynamics, selectable 4WD, and compromised space. Everyone essentially decided that a big touchscreen was more important than a fixed keyboard and great enterprise support. Today's CUVs give a lot of the pros of SUVs without a lot of the negatives and thus the market for BOF SUVs has shrank right along with the availability of them. 4Runner sales will never again compare to the early 00s. (Which were free credit, leveraging loans against supposed home value growth days... not the case today.)

Nice little anecdote: my mom went from a BOF explorer to a BOF explorer to a BOF Yukon to a BOF Explorer to a Rav4. She LOVES the Rav4 because it rides so much better than the others and gets far better gas mileage (even her 270hp V6!)

Wow! Somebody gets my gibberish and explains it better too. Where is the head banging against the wall thing....

 

[JohnnyT]

I never take too much stock in a sentence prefaced with “Lets be honest here”. However, will say, there is zero correlation between butt-hurt and 4Runner sales. Again, nonsense.

Apparently it does enough to you. You keep posting it doesn’t matter, but yet the 5th Gen should have better sales. Again, nonsense.

Have I introduced you to JohnnyT? He’ll tell you the 4th gen is, and then spell out period – even after ending the sentence with one. That’s also nonsense, but he has personality – and like Samuel Jackson says, personality goes a long ways.

As a tear of joy runs down my cheek, I am thrilled to be working on another friend here.

I mean Genghis Khan and Hitler also had "personality", but I'll take what I can get.

WS, you better find that richly deserved job soon or your going to give these people an absolute heart attack if you keep this intensity up. I know of two candidates that could have used your mojo on Monday night. It's out there. Find it.

 

[nw_4Runner]

WS, you better find that richly deserved job soon or your going to give these people an absolute heart attack if you keep this intensity up. I know of two candidates that could have used your mojo on Monday night. It's out there. Find it.

You and WS get together and it'll be "wonder twins activate... form of a silky smooth V8 engine and soft touch plastics!"

:cheers: