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Keep
on Truckin’: The Timeless Temptation of Toy Cars and Trucks
By Paul
A. Paterson
May 1, 2003
“On
a scale of one to ten, I’d say about five,” said Nakamura.
“Toy car buyers are generally interested in only toys, although
generally I think the newer toy replicas of the new cars are very
well done. I believe there’s a segment of new car buyers who
purchase replicas of their car, but my guess is that number is insignificant
in terms of increased toy car sales.”
According
to statistics from the Toy Industry Association,
sales of vehicles rose slightly in 2001, then dropped off in 2002,
but still exceeded $2 billion. Nakamura believes the hard-core collector
is really a small part of the overall toy car market, but the passion
they pass on to their children and grandchildren bodes well for
future generations of collectors.
As Nakamura sees it, “When the parents buy collectible toy
cars for themselves, I believe they also buy toy cars for their
children and as gifts, which may keep the interest in toy car collecting
for generations later.”
Corgi's
helicopter model |
Long
the standard bearer for car collectors, Corgi
Classics Inc. is making inroads into the North American
market through both specialty stores and mass retailers like Wal-Mart
and Target. Specializing in a few key product lines, Corgi prides
itself in producing high quality fire, military, transportation
and aviation models. Kristian Kuh, Marketing Manager for the company,
believes the Internet in a huge tool for marketing new cars.
“The whole idea for us is to get the product in the hands
of the collector,” he said. “The Web really helps with
that.”
Kuh says Corgi is working on a website that will include a bulletin
board, enabling customers to give feedback and suggestions on the
products.
HotWheelsNow’s Nakamura believes toy cars will remain a childhood
favorite as long as the automobile plays such an integral part of
our adult lives.
“Real cars and trucks play a huge role in our society,”
he said. “They depict our fantasies, and … are part
of our childhood memories.”
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