Word: solara
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Dates: during 2002-2002
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...just at Ford. Today the market is flooded with 30 convertibles, up from about a dozen six years ago. Over the same period, registration of new convertibles is up 63%, according to R.L. Polk & Co. The new fleet ranges from family-oriented cruisers like the Toyota Camry Solara to such trophy hot rods as the Lexus SC 430. At next week's New York International Auto Show, carmakers from Audi to Mercedes will show off new models. Even Chevy's pickup division is joining the fray, with a "sport roadster" set to roll into showrooms...
Automakers have also learned that a convertible need not handle like a Porsche to turn a profit. Consider Toyota's Solara convertible, based on an aging Camry platform. Says analyst Michael Bruynesteyn of Prudential Securities: "It's basically a chop," meaning that Toyota grafted a soft top onto the Solara with minimal changes to the rest of the car. Toyota sold 7,600 units when it introduced the vehicle in 2000, charging about $5,000 more than for the comparable hardtop. The convertible shares a platform with seven other vehicles, so if interest in the ragtop wanes, the automaker...
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