Avalon ends in 2022, as Toyota sharpens focus on crossovers and SUVs

We give the latest Toyota Avalon sedan a high TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10 for its great interior space and its miserly hybrid edition—but Toyota’s giving it the Heisman.

A report in Automotive News (subscription required), and Toyota confirms, that the company will cancel the big four-door after the 2022 model year, leaving the Camry as the largest sedan in its lineup.

AN reports the Avalon had been due for a revamp at the end of next year, but that’s been put on ice—presumably, so that Toyota can free up production space at the Georgetown, Kentucky factory where the Avalon is built. That would give the company more room to produce hot-selling crossovers and even to expand the SUV lineup.

Toyota is expected to add a longer version of the Highlander to its showrooms; the Highlander’s assembled in Princeton, Indiana.

AN reports Toyota sold 103,878 Avalons in 2000, its best sales year.

In 2020 the Avalon gained an option for all-wheel drive and sporty XSE and TRD versions, as Toyota sought to buff its reputation—even while sedan sales were being rapidly eclipsed by sales of its own utility vehicles.

The recommended Avalon remains the Hybrid, which earns a stellar 43-mpg EPA combined rating.

Other sedans that remain in the class include the Nissan Maxima, Chrysler 300, and Dodge Charger, as well as Toyota’s own Lexus ES. In retirement, the Avalon will join such well-loved lights of the highway as the Kia Cadenza, the Volkswagen Passat, the Buick Regal, and the Hyundai Azera.