Featured 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD - The dollars and cents make sense.

the beginning of a new toyota hybrid era. get in line, or get out of the way.

 

Put sliding doors on the rear and problem solved.

Bob Wilson

 

what problem?

 

Absence of a USA, hybrid minivan.

Bob Wilson

 

ah, thank you. patience is a virtue.

 

It is missing a plug.

 

TOYOTA have announced that it won't come to Australia - instead we've had Diesel versions for a couple of years.

 

Toyota didn't bring in the Klugger hybrid either, just petrol. I haven't heard about whether we'll Prius Prime - I suspect not, but we didn't get the PUPrius which I think was fairly limited in where they sold it around the globe.

We get TESLA S - $135,000 to $215,000, BMW i3 $75,000+ and i8 $265,000 - though I've never seen any of those on the road. And we did have VOLT for a while - they assembled one small batch about 3 yrs ago, put a ridiculous $60,000+ price-tag and they sat in dealers for a couple of years and have all gone now - I've only seen one.

We had Leafs I-Mievs but I think supplies have stopped.

I read that Peugeot is looking to bring in a hybrid and BEV, but VW or FORD never did. Honda has a high priced Accord hybrid. Hyundai have hinted they'll bring in all versions of Ioniq next year. Some of the luxury brands have them too - BMW, Merc, Volvo, Audi, Infiniti and Lexus etc.

Part of the problem is that politically, it's been on the back-burner. They'll argue till the cows come home about mining coal, power stations, about renewable energy (our previous Prime Minister stated something like "Wind Farms are a blot on the landscape" indicating his interest). There have been almost no concessions to hybrids or BEVs - a few places give parking concessions, there were some luxury tax concessions on high priced hybrids but in reality, that's why the industry hasn't gone for hybrid, PHEV or BEV here.

 

I thought you guys get the Outlander Phev? Gets a plug and better awd system.

 

Hey, yes, I forgot that one we get it, though no 2016 versions have appeared yet - there are still some older ones sitting in dealerships at good prices. I had a look at one, but it's not really what I'm wanting - nor does it have a spare tyre . Nissan has a Pathfinder Hybrid too, but I don't think it's PHEV.

 

The Nissan Pathfinder hybrid didn't last long in the US. Not sure why. I think it was cheaper than the Highlander hybrid, with only a little lower fuel economy in the city. Then again, the first, and only time, I heard about it was here, when someone bought one.

 

What can we call it so no one knows what we are talking about: R4H?

R4H sales are growing each month along with Gen4. I don't get the "Toyota hybrid sales are disappointing" crowd, Year to Date anyways steady as she goes.

 

The R4H sales are stellar in my opinion. It is already doing better than the other Toyota hybrids, and it might actually rival the Prius.
The others appear to be mostly par for the course. The Prius c and v might have slacked off compared to last year, but not drastically.

The Prius are disappointing sales. Compared to last year, May's sales are down by over 21%. The brand new model is selling worse than one that was six years old at the time. Low gas prices was a factor for both. Deals were to be had for moving the old model off dealer lots, but we are talking May, not end of the year, and Toyota already has a $1500 cash back and 0% financing on the gen4.

 

Not sure - they're selling luxury cars gangbusters, seemingly since fuel prices dropped, but I suspect other reasons too.

I read today that the Bentley Bentayga AWD truck sold 10 last month - at $420,000 each, which is possibly unsustainable, but I'm sure Bentley would be pleased (typical was 4 sales total in January). It has an optional PicnicHamper for only $55,000, a Breitlig clock for $300,000 (hmmm, my Fiesta came standard with a clock) - and if you want to go off-road, that needs an Off-Road Pack ($???).

I also discovered the Porsche Cayenne has a HYBRID version too, $150,000 ish.

 

Now there's speculation that the Rav4 hybrid is eating into sales of the Prius V. Of course the latter is probably due for a redesign soon, and would also benefit from having AWD capability.

Is Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SUV hurting Prius V wagon sales?

 

If only their 918 spyder came in an AWD SUV ... I'd be all overthat.

ha


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