Toyota RAV4 to squash hybrid SUV rivals
Impending hybrid SUV assault of no concern to ToyotaThe battle lines have been drawn and Toyota is confident of sustaining its supremacy in the medium SUV segment with its all-conquering Toyota RAV4.
Mid-size SUVs out-sell every other vehicle type in Australia and the Toyota RAV4 is the most popular – something the Japanese giant says won’t change despite the impending arrival of two all-new hybrid rivals in the next-generation Hyundai Tucson (2021) and Nissan X-TRAIL (2022).
“I’m not surprised that other car companies are suddenly realising that hybrids are a credible, practical, affordable solution,” Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley told carsales.
“We believe the RAV4 will hold its ground in this competitive segment and we know the extensive experience we have with hybrids over the last two decades will also hold us in good stead with our customers,” he added.
But Australia’s third-best-selling medium SUV, the new Nissan X-TRAIL, will almost certainly be available with a hybrid powertrain for the first time, in the shape of a e-POWER variant that drives like an EV and uses its petrol motor purely as a generator.
Next year’s new Hyundai Tucson will be offered for the first time with either a conventional hybrid powertrain or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) tech.
“I’m not at all surprised actually that our competitors might want to share in some of this success,” stated Hanley, who claimed that more competition in the hybrid SUV space will be good for business.
“I welcome the competitors and I welcome the fact hybrid will get further airplay in what it can deliver in terms of practicality into the Australian market.”
There are many more electrified mid-size SUVs coming to Australia this year, including the new Ford Escape with a PHEV option and the Mazda CX-30 SKYACTIV mild-hybrid. The next Kia Sportage due in 2021 is also expected to offer a hybrid powertrain.
There are two other petrol-electric medium SUVs already available in Australia: the Subaru Forester e-Boxer mild-hybrid and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, but neither model has yet proved anywhere near as successful as the Toyota RAV4 hybrid.
The latest RAV4 is the only mainstream medium SUV to record positive sales growth in 2020, with sales up by a whopping 43.3 per cent compared to the same time last year. And a significant part of the RAV4’s success has been the introduction of hybrid model grades.
“More than 60 per cent of RAV4s delivered in April were hybrids,” explained Hanley. “For the total year it’s knocking on the door of 50 per cent.”
Toyota offers its hybrid powertrain on all RAV4 grades (GX, GXL and Cruiser) for a price premium of $2500 in most cases.
The 2.5-litre petrol-electric set-up bangs out 160kW (163kW with AWD) and consumes just 4.8L/100km. Our latest test returned 5.3L/100km but that’s still very impressive.
“What we know right now is that RAV4 hybrid is a very good product. It’s well-regarded, it’s won a number of awards and it’s been exceedingly popular since its launch,” said Hanley.
“Where I think Toyota and RAV4 will do very well [in the face of renewed competition] is the fact that we’ve been in this market for nearly 20 years. We have very well-developed technology and we now offer a very broad product range utilising that technology.”
Hanley knows better than anyone else that the SUV space is about to heat up as more high-tech vehicles arrive with a wider range of electrified powertrains available, from conventional hybrids to plug-in hybrids, range-extender EVs and pure-EVs like the existing Hyundai Kona Electric.
But in the face of stiff competition, the Toyota big-wig reckons the Japanese brand’s strong reputation in the hybrid vehicle space will keep it at the head of the pack.
“The fact is, electrification is here, but it will come in all sort of different forms. The market will ultimately determine what is that best source, and I think Toyota will be at the forefront largely because of the investment and vision Toyota had 20 years ago,” said Hanley.
With another hybrid SUV from Toyota on its way in 2020, the smaller, more affordable Yaris Cross, Toyota looks set to build on the momentum generated by the RAV4.
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