Toyota hybrid sales break records in 2024

TAKING the bold step recently to sell only hybrid-powered passenger cars has proved to be a master stroke for Toyota as it’s given the Japanese manufacturer a major boost in 2024 when it chalked up record sales of 241,296 driven in part by record hybrid sales (of 118,081 units).

 

Toyota says hybrid-electric vehicles now make up close to half its annual sales – a percentage that is likely to increase this year as light duty SUVs join the company’s passenger cars with hybrid only powertrains.

 

The hugely popular RAV4 medium size SUV underlines this shift in direction being the number-one-selling vehicle Down Under in 2024 at 58,718 units all told, most of which were hybrid powered.

 

It accounted for the lion’s share of hybrid sales in the broader market and from Toyota’s perspective, bested the perennially popular HiLux one-tonne ute that had been the Big T’s number-one-seller for years.

 

Sales of Toyota hybrids have been percolating slowly since the introduction of the first Prius back in 2001 but accelerated to exponential sales growth in the past few years as buyers warmed to the low emission, low fuel consumption technology.

 

The increase in popularity also corresponded to an uptick in both performance and economy from Toyota’s hybrid powertrains a good example being the Camry hybrid which was on par with or possibly outpaced the previous 3.5-litre V6 for performance while using about half the amount of fuel.

 

Though a long time in the making, Toyota’s cumulative hybrid vehicle sales now tally over 500,000 examples, a quarter of which were sold in 2024 at 118,081 units representing an increase of 45,997 vehicles or 63.8 per cent compared with the 72,084 Toyota hybrids retailed in the previous year.

 

Toyota says 2024 is the first time that sales of cars powered by hybrid technology have reached six figures in a calendar year, either from a single brand or from the entire industry.

 

“Hybrid-electric vehicles accounted for 48.9 per cent of Toyota’s 2024 sales, a new high compared with 33.5 per cent in the previous year,” the company extolled in a media release.

 

“Adding the bZ4X SUV and Mirai results in an electrified sales share for Toyota of 49.3 per cent.”

 

Toyota hypothesises that if its HEVs were categorised as a separate franchise, they would take the runners-up position on the sales podium – narrowly behind Toyota’s sales of petrol-only and diesel vehicles.

 

The RAV4 hybrid result in 2024 shows it topped the hybrid sales charts for the second year running with 55,902 deliveries, or more than double the 25,666 that were sold in 2023.

 

Toyota says the mid-size SUV is also Australia’s most popular hybrid of all time with a grand total of 167,776 sales – achieved in fewer than six years.

 

Further, Toyota says sales records show accelerating popularity of hybrid-electric technology as evident in the fact that it took 19 years (until 2020) for Toyota’s annual hybrid sales to pass 50,000 cars – but just four more years to double the selling rate to beyond 100,000 HEVs a year.

 

Speaking with media at a recent event in Sydney, Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley said the latest figures reflected the reality of strong consumer demand for hybrid-electric vehicles.

 

“Australians are tightening their belts across the board and, with petrol prices hovering at about $2.00 a litre, hybrids are an attractive proposition,” he said.

 

“Our order intake throughout the past two years has confirmed an incredibly strong consumer preference for Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, although this was not fully reflected in monthly sales reports due to earlier supply shortages.

 

“With supply now back to normal for most of our range, the 2024 figures demonstrate that consumers regard Toyota hybrids as capable, practical and affordable cars that can help them reduce their fuel consumption and carbon footprint – today.

 

“This has been amply demonstrated by the success of RAV4, which has been Australia’s best-selling car for each of the past six months.”

 

Toyota hybrid sales (2024)*:

 

Model	Sales
RAV4	55,902
Corolla	19,460
Camry	14,475
Kluger	8,212
Yaris Cross	7,870
Corolla Cross	7,727
C-HR	2,824
Yaris	1,142
Tundra	469
Total	118,081

 

Toyota hybrid sales (all-time)*:

 

Model	Sales
RAV4	167,776
Camry	113,898
Corolla	100,394
Kluger	28,576
Yaris Cross	24,560
Prius	20,866
Corolla Cross	15,445
C-HR	14,918
Prius c	9,758
Prius v	5,342
Yaris	3,230
Tundra	489
Total	505,252

 

*Figures supplied by Toyota Australia.