(August 3, 2021) Toyota Motor North America has opted to ax the large Avalon sedan after the 2022 model year, the Japanese automaker told suppliers in a letter Monday, according to Automotive News. The Avalon, the mass market brand's flagship sedan, was due to be refreshed in the second half of next year. However, the automaker's purchasing department informed suppliers that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky will end output of the Avalon.
            
A spokesman for Toyota Motor North America confirmed the decision.

The Avalon was introduced in 1994 as the company's flagship sedan. U.S. sales peaked at 103,878 in 2000, Toyota said. U.S. sales of the Avalon rose 37 percent to 10,328 during the first half of 2021 compared with the pandemic-forced shutdowns of a year ago, but it beat only the Nissan Maxima in the dwindling large car segment through the first six months of the year, and badly trailed the segment leading Dodge Charger 4 to 1.

The death of the Avalon will leave only the Charger, Chrysler 300 and Maxima in the once large and lucrative big sedan segment. Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Buick and Hyundai have also abandoned the segment in recent years.

The Avalon is also the second non-crossover/SUV that Toyota has cut from its U.S. lineup because of slow sales in as many years. The automaker killed the Yaris in the U.S. in 2020.