What' the next niche that car manufacturers will try to fill? How about cars for senior citizens? I've wondered about this for some time because my parents are getting older and population statistics show that the group of 65-year plus people is growing. Wouldn't that be a good segment of the population to build a car model for? But how does a manufacturer market a car like that?
In the past a car manufacturer dreaded the statistics for a marque or model that showed that older people only bought those cars. Cadillac was criticized because their statistics showed that their primary customer was older. So GM brought in management and designers to change the cars and change the image. Buick today seems to "suffer" from the same "problem". I've put those quotes around the words because perhaps it isn't a problem at all. On the other hand, perhaps having a whole brand, say Buick, oriented to older people isn't a good idea because just one model probably would do the job.
Ford has had "older person" models for a long time, but has done it rather subliminally. Who really buys a Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis? Yes, the police do for other reasons, but just look at who drives the private ones. The problem here is that there seem to be more police Crown Victorias on the road than there are private ones. But this is Southern California and we don't have the "Buy American" philosophy that other parts of the country does.
As an aside, the "Buy American" idea has been rather warped by the traditional American manufacturers: Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Some years ago the percentage content of "American" parts were identified on the new car price sticker (if you look for it). Actually, this sticker may be separate from the traditional price sticker, but it is posted, by law, on the car for the consumer to read. The problem with "American" content was that the manufacturers already made many of their cars in Canada and Mexico. So when the law was passed, those locations were also to be included as "American". I wonder how many people who read the stickers know that.
Back to the "older person" car: Manufacturers for years now have put a great deal of effort into advertising campaigns to stress the younger buyer. This comes with the assumption that if you aren't young, you want to be. Toyota has made a sub-division of their model line for the youth market, the Scions. There are three Scions and often are purchased by people who aren't so young. But the marketing campaign, is clearly aimed at youth only. Honda has marketed the Element in a similar way. Of course, Ford has marketed the Mustang that way from the very beginning in 1964. Perhaps the success of the Mustang and its ad campaign is what started the manufacturers to stress youth in their advertisements.
So what is changing? The population is. And what manufacturer seems to be the first to actually target a car for this segment of the population? Toyota, of course. The new Avalon is aimed directly at the older market. Toyota has other models to cater to younger people, so the niche the Avalon is aimed at is the older person. The newest iteration is even more focused at older people and even Toyota management admits it.
Look at the demographics and at the Avalon: It's fairly big and very luxurious with no emphasis on sporty. The older buyer is now or has been for some time retired. That means that there is no longer a salary to pay for things, instead the buyer is on a fixed retirement income including (at least for now) Social Security. That means that the Avalon can't be a really expensive car, and it isn't. Looking at the content and size for the money, it really is a bargain. That's something that the older buyer likes. Another thing that the Toyota will bring is reliability. That is a big plus too.
It is easy to get into and out of. Ask my parents (86 and 91) what is important these days and they'll tell you getting into and out of a car is very important. Sport utilities are too high and require climbing up into, whereas the lower sleek sedans are too low. They also want a leather interior because they can slide into the seat easier on leather than cloth. Hmmm. That's a big reason I don't like leather because I slide around when I'm driving fast. Another thing that is important is controls that can be used by older people, and that means larger buttons and knobs with easy-to-read (and understand!) labeling.
I guess I'd have to ask who else the Avalon could be marketed to. The Lexus models cover the real luxury market, so what is the Avalon other than the world's best Buick -- or Crown Victoria? Actually it is better in every way than the Crown Victoria, except one. The Avalon, being front-drive, can't tow a trailer. This isn't common in Southern California, but it is in other places. The car is used to tow a travel trailer or smaller boat trailer. The Crown Victoria will do that. Our affluent retirees here have a motorhome in addition to a car (and sometimes even two another car behind the motorhome).
What is very interesting is that there appears to be a competitor for the Avalon, and it comes from a surprising manufacturer. Nobody has said it directly, but the Ford Five Hundred appears to be aimed directly at the senior citizen. It's tall and just the right height to be very easy to get into. It's affordable, even more so than the Avalon. Neither the Five Hundred, nor the Avalon have really powerful engines standard or optional. Both have big trunks for golf clubs.
When I looked at both cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show, I found that the other people looking at them were mostly older. Why is that? I haven't seen advertisements aimed at an older audience for those cars. Maybe I am just missing them. I haven't seen very many Ford Five Hundreds on the road here in Los Angeles (yet). I don't really expect to either. The Avalon will sell well here. We're not a "Buy American" place. And the Ford Five Hundred doesn't have the prestige that a foreign marque does, so that is a big minus here.
