Toyota RAV4 hits sales record in Australia

SYDNEY: Toyota’s RAV4 has achieved its highest monthly sales in the model’s 30-year history, making it Australia’s best-selling vehicle for the month of August.

A total of 6,712 examples of the popular mid-size SUV were delivered to local customers last month, of which almost 95 per cent were hybrids.

The RAV4 total in August was dominated by the sale of 6,342 hybrids – a tally that would have enabled the petrol-electric variants to top the sales chart in their own right.

RAV4 was the biggest contributor to Toyota’s market-leading August total of 21,490 vehicles, which translates into a market share of 21.9 per cent.

It is the third time RAV4 has been Australia’s best-selling vehicle this year and the fifth time overall.

August was the sixth consecutive monthly record for RAV4 and the first time the model has exceeded 6,000 sales in a month. The previous record of 5,933 deliveries was set in July this year.

The only Toyota vehicle that has posted a higher monthly total is HiLux with 7,582 vehicles in June 2022.

Well over half (55.5%) of Toyota’s August total, or 11,931 vehicles, were equipped with hybrid-electric powertrains.

August was the third time Toyota’s hybrids have topped 10,000 deliveries in a month. It was also the third time in four months that more than half Toyota’s sales have been hybrid.

Toyota has now sold a record 81,378 hybrids this year, which represents 49.2 per cent of the company’s total deliveries.

Toyota has posted more than 20,000 sales in each of the past five months, lifting its eight-month total to 165,496 vehicles – an average that also exceeds 20,000 deliveries a month.

The eight-month total is 31,749 vehicles or 23.7 per cent higher than the 133,747 vehicles retailed in the same period last year.

Toyota’s Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley said the sales results provide further evidence of the enduring appeal of hybrid technology in the Australian market.

“Our strategy is all about offering choice to meet the needs and desire of all Australian customers, leaving no-one behind,” Mr Hanley said.

“This includes our extensive hybrid range headlined by the addition of a new Camry; the space, style and comfort of our SUVs; and the ability to tow heavy loads and get off the beaten track in one of our four-wheel drives,” he said.

“Right vehicle. Right place. Right time.”