Toyota axes its petrol-only cars and SUVs

Toyota Australia has announced that as of today it will no longer sell petrol-only versions of the Corolla Cross, RAV4 and Kluger, meaning eight of its key passenger car and SUV models are now hybrid-only.

The news comes just a couple of months after the Yaris and Corolla hatchbacks followed the Yaris Cross light SUV and new-generation C-HR small SUV moved to an all-hybrid line-up, while the new Camry sedan will also be hybrid-only when it arrives here in the coming months.

Toyota Australia sales, marketing and franchise operations vice-president Sean Hanley said the nation’s top auto brand didn’t expect to lose any major sales volume by transitioning these models to all-hybrid power, despite the fact its current petrol-electric vehicle prices will stand firm and won’t be reduced to compensate for the lack of cheaper petrol-only versions.

“I don’t think we’ll lose volume, why would we? They [hybrids] represent such a high percentage [of sales] now, and demand’s outstripped supply for years,” he told local media at a briefing this morning.

“I’m not expecting that there’ll be any longer-term drop – there may be some short-term, but certainly nothing in the long-term.”

Hanley nominated the entry-level Yaris as the only model set to see a potential short-term sales dip, given it has the smallest hybrid sales share of any current Toyota model, though hybrids still accounted for more than half of all Yaris sales so far this year.

He also confirmed the entry price of the now hybrid-only model lines would increase following the deletion of petrol-only variants, with most being faced with a jump of $2500-$4000.

“The demand trend for hybrid vehicles is finally clear,” he said.

“Yes, petrol-only models have been price-leaders, we get that. Even so, what is important to understand is this – across the models where customers have had the choice, the vast majority have chosen hybrid over petrol.

“This has reinforced our confidence in the future of hybrid-electric as the dominant powertrain of choice for most passenger cars and SUVs.”

This hybrid dominance is best reflected by the top-selling RAV4’s sales mix, given more than 95 per cent of all examples sold this year have been hybrids, with delivery times now finally dropping from over two years to less than six months.

Meantime, hybrids accounted for 76.8 per cent of all sales of the bigger Toyota Kluger so far this year.

The move leaves the niche GR86 and GR Supra sports coupes as the only purely combustion-powered passenger models in the Toyota Australia range, alongside the HiLux ute, HiAce van, the Fortuner, LandCruiser and Prado SUVs, the Coaster bus and the Granvia people-mover.

Hanley wouldn’t be drawn on when electrification – beyond Toyota’s new 48V mild-hybrid tech – would make its way across to those models, but said the brand was looking at its options.

“We’re certainly looking at hybrid options for commercial vehicles going forward; there is one available in the US,” he said, referring to the Tundra full-size pick-up truck currently being converted and developed for right-hand drive locally by Walkinshaw Automotive.

“We have not confirmed that vehicle… but it’s certainly something in the lifetime of that model we’ll look into.”

Toyota has delivered 100,389 new vehicles to May 2024, of which 46,821 were hybrids, and chalked-up 23,389 sales last month – its best May on-record.

The Japanese brand’s annual hybrid sales split currently sits at 46.6 per cent and is expected to eclipse the 50 per cent mark in the near future, given the vast majority of its passenger car and SUV line-ups are now entirely electrified.

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