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Toyota RAV4 sales to be 30 per cent PHEV
TOYOTA Australia says it expects the plug-in hybrid variant of its highly-popular RAV4 to account for 30 per cent of the model’s overall sales when it goes on sale later this year.
The Japanese importer says it will sell over 40,000 copies of the RAV4 locally this year, rising by another 10,000 units to the end of the 2027 calendar year.
Speaking with GoAuto at the launch of the all-new RAV4 in Tasmania last week, Toyota Australia vice president of national sales, marketing, and franchise operations John Pappas said that while sales of the RAV4 will favour hybrid variants for now, the PHEV range will quickly come to account for almost a third of overall model sales.
“We expect (the split between the PHEV and overall RAV4 sales) to be around 30 per cent over a 12-month period,” he said, noting that sales of the PHEV could increase as customers become familiar with the model
“But we also think that once people see and drive the car, that demand may exceed that sales composition plan.
“But that is our planning assumption as it stands, and if we need to try and get more PHEV stock going forward, then we will work with TMC on that.”
Mr Pappas said recent fuel price spikes in the wake of the Iran War have resulted in increased interest not only for the plug-in hybrid RAV4, but also HEV and BEV models across Toyota’s Australian portfolio.
“We are seeing increased inquiry on not only hybrids, but BEVs. Of course, the plug-in is a great suitable powertrain considering even what’s going on around us at the moment,” he added.
While the RAV4 is the first Toyota model to be offered in Australia with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, it is not the first PHEV to be offered by the Japanese marque globally, noting the availability of the powertrain in Prius and C-HR models elsewhere.
When asked if Toyota would be open to bringing more plug-in hybrid models to Australia, Mr Pappas said there were no current plans confirmed, with the importer electing instead to wait and see how demand shapes up.
“Because of our multi-pathway approach, we are always looking at these options for powertrains,” he said.
“And if they become available for our market, we are always assessing those on their own merits – so long as we can satisfy the customer requirement, we'll be putting up our hand for those options.”
Last year, Toyota sold 51,947 examples of the RAV4 in Australia, all of which were hybrid powered following the discontinuation of the petrol-only version of the SUV model in 2024.
With these sales figures, the RAV4 was Toyota’s most popular model in Australia, and the second best-selling vehicle sold locally overall.
The RAV4 range in Australia now comprises 11 different variants across two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations and hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains, with deliveries for the latter commencing in Q3 this year.
Both the HEV and PHEV powertrain use a 2.5-litre petrol engine paired with either a front-mounted electric motor for the two-wheel drive variants or dual electric motors in the all-wheel drive models.
The PHEV variants feature a 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery, with Toyota targeting a 100km electric-only driving range on the WLTP cycle.
Both the 2WD and AWD HEV models have a combined system output of 143kW, while the PHEV variants make 201kW and 227kW in the 2WD and AWD models respectively.
Prices for the new RAV4 range start from $45,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level GX 2WD, topping out at $66,340 for the range-topping GR Sport AWD PHEV.