Toyota RAV4 Hybrid wait times to shorten

Customer delivery wait times for the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid could drop from a reported three years to under 12 months by the middle of 2024.

However, longer waiting times for the fleet-favourite Camry Hybrid seem set to continue.

Wait times for the LandCruiser 70 Series V8 also appear set to stay in the slow lane, with order books to remain closed into 2024.

That’s the latest update from Toyota Australia as it restores supply levels to pre-COVID levels and hacks into multi-year waiting lists.

It is expecting to sell 225,000 vehicles in 2023 and a record 135,000 in the second half of the year alone.

Wait times for Toyota models, especially hybrids, blew out thanks to COVID-induced production delays over the last few years.

However, Toyota Australia is promising that sustained delivery rates averaging over 20,000 vehicles per month for the rest of 2023 will reduce at least some of those waiting times.

And as we previously reported, Australia’s biggest auto brand has moved to increase deliveries to the customers waiting the longest and to stop dealers marking up in-demand vehicles.

“Last month we delivered an August record of 22,321 vehicles, breaking a mark set 16 years ago,” said Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley.

“Let me tell you that result was not a one-off. We’ve been able to secure substantial production for the rest of the year and well into 2024.

“We expect to supply more vehicles to customers in the last five months of the year than we did in the first seven months,” confirmed

“For the full year we are on track to eliminate the wait for 225,000-plus customers, which is substantially better than we expected six months ago.

“Based on what we know today, July to December will be our biggest second half ever.

“But we are only interested in milestones and records to the extent they contribute to happier customers and shorter wait times.”

Asked to be more specific about what the promised reductions in wait times will mean for specific models, Hanley highlighted the impact on the RAV4 Hybrid.

“Most hybrid variants have a 12 to 18 month wait,” he said.

“RAV was over two years and it’s coming down under two years. By the middle of next year, I think the RAV Hybrid will be under a year to 16 months.”

Hanley confirmed that premium variants in the RAV4 Hybrid range were the ones for which wait times were the longest.

He said the Camry Hybrid wait time has been as long as three years and is now 12-18 months, but is unlikely to shrink much in the near future because of production limitations

“Camry is in very high demand because it is a very popular fleet vehicle. I can’t see it dropping any time soon.”

That means the Camry won’t reclaim its passenger sedan sales crown from the Tesla Model 3 anytime soon.

Because of its long wait times of up to 24 months, the V8 LandCruiser 70 Series will remain off sale when the WTF four-cylinder LC70 goes on sale later this year.

“We have a very big order bank on V8s,” said Hanley, who again acknowledged the patience of Toyota customers waiting for their cars.

“We are focusing on filling old orders, so customers who have been waiting a long time are getting priority and we have just increased that ratio in the last months,” he said.

“We know people have been waiting a long time and we are really grateful; they are sticking with us.

“People have been patient and we thank them. Not a day or night goes by where we are not devising a way to get cars to them quicker.”

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