Toyota hybrid sales double

The Toyota RAV4 set a sales record in March as the car maker’s hybrid volume doubled year-on-year to make up nearly half the brand’s total sales.

March 2024 saw more than 5000 RAV4s sold for the first time to be Toyota’s best seller, second only to the Ford Ranger overall.

Significantly, 4728 of the 5070 RAV4s sold (93.3 percent) were hybrid models – with the petrol-only share only several hundred – making the RAV4 hybrid its most popular vehicle.

The RAV4 made the biggest single contribution to a total of 24,722 hybrid and/or electric power Toyota sales year-to-date, making up 44 per cent of the brand’s 56,238 first quarter total.

A jump of 104 percent, the figure is also large enough for Toyota hybrid models alone to rank second overall for Q1, ahead of second-placed Mazda’s 23,716.

As well as the RAV4, sales records were set by hybrid versions of the Corolla, Corolla Cross, Camry and Kluger in the first quarter of 2024 as the brand delivered more than twice as many vehicles as any other car maker in Australia.

Key to the result was clearing the backlog of supply issues hampering sales in recent years.

“Now that supply has vastly improved for Toyota, there are clear indications of a resurgence in hybrid electric demand here in Australia and also in markets like Europe and the United States,” said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations.

Toyota USA reported a 74.1 percent Q1 2024 sales increase for its hybrid and electrified vehicles, accounting for 36.6 per cent of its sales volume with the RAV4 hybrid also posting a best-ever first quarter result.

“That’s because consumers increasingly regard hybrid electric models as providing practical, capable and affordable vehicles compared to petrol variants that help cut their carbon footprint while reducing fuel bills – and they retain strong resale values,” Hanley added.

Toyota launched its first battery-electric model in Australia, the BZ4x, in February 2024 in the wake of criticism of its slow take-up globally of fully-electric vehicles compared to rivals including Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and Ford.

The Japanese car maker maintains its long-standing ‘diverse powertrain’ approach to electrification with battery-electric vehicles part of a range of different propulsion types.

Global Chairman Akio Toyoda said a media briefing in February 2024 electric vehicles would not make up more than 30 percent of sales “regardless of technical advances” due to varied customer demands across different markets.

Toyota has also confirmed plans to introduce a battery-electric HiLux in 2025, with mild-hybrid HiLux scheduled for an Australian release by mid-2024.