'All-new' Toyota sedan will debut at N.Y. show
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Toyota will unveil an "all-new" sedan this week at the New York auto show with fastback styling similar to the coupe-sedan lines of the Volkswagen CC, Audi A7 and Mercedes-Benz CLS.
The sedan likely will replace the full-sized Avalon, but Toyota has not confirmed that.
Dealers who saw a preview of the car last year said Toyota called it the Avalon successor that is due this fall.
One dealer said the sedan represents a dramatic styling change for the brand.
A teaser sketch of the vehicle released last week shows a swept-back design. In a statement, Toyota called the sedan's styling "elegant yet athletic."
The Avalon has been Toyota's mainstay full-sized sedan since November 1994, when it replaced the Cressida as the brand's top-line vehicle. Sales of the car, now in its third generation, have tapered off as the segment has slumped.
Last year, the Avalon accounted for 28,925 U.S. sales -- less than a third of the peak of 104,078 reached in 2000. This year, U.S. sales are up 76 percent through February.
The sedan is one of 19 new or updated U.S. models coming from Toyota, Lexus and Scion this year. The automaker is trying to rebound from two years of declining sales because of the unintended-acceleration recall crisis in 2010 and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
You can reach Mark Rechtin at mrechtin@crain.com. -- Follow Mark on 
