SUVs Could Kill The Toyota Avensis, Direct Replacement Uncertain

As customers flock to crossovers and SUVs, turning away from family saloons and estates, sales in the mid-size sector continue to plunge in Europe (and elsewhere),

With this in mind, Toyota is now seriously considering whether it's really worth the effort to develop a successor to the current Avensis, according to the brand's European President and CEO, Johan van Zyl.

"We are looking at that segment of the market and asking ourselves questions. We're very satisfied with the performance of Avensis now - the product is doing fine for us. But we're asking if the next step should be another D-segment saloon or something else", van Zyl told AutoExpress.

In an effort to try and keep the third generation Avensis as competitive as it can be without going through a significant redesign, Toyota introduced two facelifted versions of the model that has been around since 2009. The first update came in 2012 and the last one was applied three years later, when the front end was brought in line with other products from the automaker's portfolio.

Besides the visual updates, Toyota also went to BMW for two new diesel engines, a 1.6-liter D-4D that produces 110 HP and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque, and a 2.0-liter D-4D, rated at 141 horsepower and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque. The former replaced the old 2.0-liter and the latter came instead of the 2.2-liter unit.