End of the line for new the new FJ

[fordman84]

Toyota Shuffling Lineup | Auto Makers content from WardsAuto

Toyota earlier this year announced it would discontinue the rugged body-on-frame FJ Cruiser. Production is to cease at Toyota’s Hamura, Japan, assembly plant in mid-2014.

Fay says the FJ Cruiser, while popular among off-road enthusiasts was the victim of flagging sales and the need for a hefty investment for a thorough refreshening.

Through November, FJ Cruiser sales were off 2.6% vs. year-ago to 11,826 units, according to WardsAuto data. The model’s best year was 2006, its first on sale, when it posted 56,225 deliveries.

“FJ Cruiser was nearing the end of its lifecycle,” he says. “It’s a great niche vehicle and people that buy it have a tremendous amount of passion and emotion for the vehicle. But I think volumes are just down to a level where long term (it doesn’t make sense) to make a next-generation investment in it and bring it up to environmental and safety standards.”

Hate to see body-on-frame SUV's disappear.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

There's a lot of cheap, knock-off type shit coming from China in the next year. Somehow, the big firms will have to stay stylistically ahead of these scumbags that will just take Jeep headlights and copy everybody else's design:

Cars you've never heard of from the China auto show - Autoweek