Toyota first to 100,000 hybrid sales

TOYOTA has become the first Australian importer to sell more than 100,000 hybrid electric vehicles in a year, achieving the milestone in the 12 months to June 30.

A total of 100,761 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) were delivered over the 2023-24 financial year, meaning simply that Toyota hybrid models attract more customers than the total sales of any other brand in the Australian new-car market.

Unsurprisingly, the Toyota RAV4 led the hybrid charge over the past 12 months setting a new high of 38,632 deliveries – or 93.1 per cent of all RAV4 models sold.

Toyota Australia also achieved strong HEV sales across its Camry (16,872), Corolla (20,375), Corolla Cross (7876), Kluger (7311), and Yaris Cross (6077) lines.

“We always knew that supply constraints were masking the true level of demand for Toyota vehicles, especially hybrids,” said Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing, and franchise operations Sean Hanley.

“Substantially higher production this year has enabled us to deliver 121,298 vehicles to the end of June – 31.5 per cent higher than the 92,235 vehicles we delivered in the same period last year.

“The true significance of this improvement is that our dealers have been able to satisfy, on average, an additional 1117 customers a week by delivering their new Toyota vehicle in the first half of 2024.”

Mr Hanley said shorter wait times for hybrid models are now around the three-month mark for C-HR, four months for RAV4, and five- to six months for Corolla and Yaris Cross. Longer waits of seven- to eight months remain for Kluger and Yaris.

Other models with improved wait times include the HiLux, now three- to four months, and LandCruiser which is “under six months”.

Obviously, these times can vary depending on a customer’s location and the vehicle specification selected.

“Importantly, the stock keeps coming, and our order intake remains strong,” added Mr Hanley.

In the first half of 2024, HEV deliveries reached a record high of 56,759 units, accounting for 46.8 per cent of Toyota Australia’s business. Adding the bZ4X battery electric vehicle and Mirai fuel-cell electric vehicle to the mix brings Toyota Australia’s electrified share to 47.3 per cent in 2024.

In June alone, Toyota Australia delivered more than 10,000 electrified vehicles, or 48 per cent of its 20,903 total for the month.

On the back of improved supply, sales of the RAV4 have risen almost 88 per cent to 25,404 vehicles, of which 23,934 (94.2 per cent) are hybrids. In June alone, the RAV hybrid share was 96.6 per cent.

HiLux remains the best-selling vehicle in Toyota Australia’s line-up with 28,515 units sold across the first half of 2024 – including a record of 24,980 four-wheel drive variants. HiLux led Toyota Australia’s June result with 5630 deliveries.