Next Toyota Matrix's Future Is Insecure

Yes, you’ve heard us right, one of the favorite first cars for students in North America is in trouble, and it’s not because the Japanese earthquake is still causing problems with supply of red pigment. It seems that the small hatchback has not been selling as well as it used to, with just 14,592 delivered last year, compared to a high of 66,836 units in 2002. Matrix volume plunged 47.3 percent to 26,121 in 2009, from 2008’s 49,567, and last year slid a further 44.5 percent.

We’re only talking about US market figures, because in Canada, the little Matrix is still outselling the Corolla by about twice the volume. “It’s huge in Canada,” Carter says, noting the region’s winter weather makes the all-wheel-drive Matrix a core vehicle there.

Thus, Toyota is unsure whether to invest in making a new one when the next-generation Corolla debuts in 2013, and the clock is ticking, according to Wards Auto.

“There’s no change right now on the car, (but) we haven’t made the decision yet” on whether there will be a new Matrix model, Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager says.

The biggest problem here is that the Matrix shares a platform and powertrain with the now-defunct Pontiac Vibe, so a new one will have to be made from scratch. While there's been some speculation that the upcoming compact Prius variant will supplant the Matrix in the Toyota model lineup, Bob Carter says that the two vehicles are expected to appeal to vastly different audiences.

However, just having a small hatchback available could prove to be a good hedging move for Toyota, as US consumers have steadily wormed up to hatchbacks and small wagons. As Ward's Auto indicates, 43 percent of 2012 Focus sales have been hatchbacks to date.