√Next-generation Toyota RAV4 due in 2025
The next generation of Australia’s most popular SUV – and the top-selling hybrid car – is due about two years from now, information seen by Drive has revealed.
EXCLUSIVE
The next-generation Toyota RAV4 is due in Australian showrooms in 2025, according to confidential planning information unearthed by Drive.
It means buyers at the back of the queue – which stretches 18 months to two years on popular Toyota RAV4 Hybrid variants – might get the next-generation model.
The extensive backlog of orders explains why Toyota Australia has since mid-2022 asked customers to sign a form that acknowledges price and features of the RAV4 Hybrid they ordered are subject to change.
Buyers must still place a deposit to order a car – but the funds are fully refundable if customers decide to back out of the deal pending price, equipment and a test drive.
Information unearthed by Drive has revealed development of the next Toyota RAV4 is underway ahead of showrooms arrivals in late 2024 or early 2025, pending any delays.
Australian launch timing is yet to be locked in, however if history is a guide, this timing lines up with previous model lifecycles.
The Toyota RAV4 in showrooms today was unveiled in March 2018 and went into production in the US and Canada in November 2018. Production in Japan started in January 2019 ahead of Australian showroom arrivals in May 2019.
The expected arrival date seen by Drive – late 2024 or early 2025 – also aligns with information published in a report by US automotive insights firm Auto Forecast Solutions, which claims production is due to begin for North America in October 2024.
In an interview late last year, when asked by Drive if customers who order a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid today might take delivery of the next model, Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley told Drive: “It is possible.”
The executive added: “When we will sell that car now, we acknowledge completely to the customer that the price and specs of that car could change, so everyone goes in knowing what the circumstances are.”
Few details are known about the next Toyota RAV4, however if new-generation Toyota models – including the new Prius – are a guide, the new RAV4 is likely to adopt new bodywork over carry-over or revised underpinnings.
This would not come as a surprise given the Toyota RAV4 on sale today was based on an entirely new platform, or “architecture”.
Meanwhile, the Toyota RAV4 in showrooms today was recently upgraded with Toyota’s latest in-car technology – including larger infotainment and instrument screens, all-new software, and the addition of connected-car smartphone functionality.
The next-generation model could gain even-larger display screens to better compete with new-generation rivals, including the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan X-Trail.
Hybrid variants account for more than 75 per cent of Toyota RAV4 sales in Australia – and nine out of the 13 available model grades are hybrids. Therefore the next-generation model is expected to double down on petrol-electric technology.
An individual who claims to have “inside information” – and who was cited by US website The Fast Lane Car – says all versions of the next Toyota RAV4 in the US may adopt hybrid power as standard, and the standard 2.5-litre petrol engine could be phased out – though this is not confirmed.
However, in the US the latest Toyota Sequoia four-wheel-drive – the family SUV version of the new Toyota Tundra full-size pick-up, and a twin under the skin to Australia’s LandCruiser 300 Series – has already gone hybrid-only for its latest generation, setting a precedent.
The post Next-generation Toyota RAV4 due in 2025 appeared first on Drive.
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