"Pszemol" <Pszemol@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:g815c8.ng.0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "Stubby" <William.Plummer*NO*SPAM*@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:daSdnVVdAJP30znVnZ2dnUVZ_hCdnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Aren't the new models introduced in September? So the 2009 models will
>> come
>> out to the public in Sept 2008. It takes awhile to build them and
****p
>> them to the cor****ate customers such as Hertz.
>
> That was exactly my point, but aparently toyota does it the other way...
> 2009 model year manufactured in 03/08 and before September it has
already
> almost 10k miles on the odometer :-)
These days the model year has regulatory meaning. A 2009 vehicle must meet
regulations that are in effect in 2009. Most manufacturers go to the new
model year whenever they make changes to accommodate regulatory
requirements.
It is not just Toyota that introduces the next model year cars early in
the
prior year. 1965 Mustangs were introduced in April of 1964. They are often
referred to as 1964 1/2 models, but they were titled as 1965 models. My
last
Ford Expedition was officially a 2003 Expedition, even though I bought it
in
June of 2002. The 2009 Ford Flex has been on the market for over a month.
2009 Dodge Challengers have been on sale for months. Chevrolet plans to
begin selling the 2010 Camaro in early 2009.
In the old days (say early to mid 60's) year model changes were more
marketing ploys than anything else. Americans expected all new models
every
year, even if "all new" meant the same old crap under slightly revised
sheet
metal. Europeans were not so focused on getting new models based on the
calendar so the "model year" of a car was irrelevant. In the 60's it was
not
uncommon for im****ted cars marketed in America that didn't sell in one
year,
to be relabeled as a new model year (i.e., if the "1967" BMW 1600 didn't
sell in 1967, BMW would issue a new identification plate, magically
converting the vehicle into a "1968" BMW 1600).
This all changed in the US when the Government got heavily involved in
auto
safety. The government established VIN requirements and safety requirement
were required to be installed based on date of manufacture. The model year
came to have regulatory significance, so now we have manufacturers
assigning
model years to vehicles based on the Government rules they comply with.
Ed
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