Featured Disappointing if true - RavPrime related

Rollouts are always subject to limited production at first, which has proven wise for a variety reasons.

Why is this any different from others in the past ?

 

This announcement only pertains to Japan, where Toyota only allotted 300 units a month. In addition to a battery shortage, PHEV incentives there might be expiring.

Ioniq supply was limited in the US in the beginning because of higher than expected demand. Same with the first XC60 PHEV in Europe. It took so long for the Outlander PHEV to come here, because of demand in other markets.

Toyota very likely slated more production for other markets. Bigger ones where they expect higher demand. Doing Japan first lets them give the production teams practice with the new model. Rushing things makes first model year issues worse. Just look up how the Aviator went for Ford in the beginning.

Getting more batteries for production isn't like going to the store. Li-ion demand is out growing supply at this point, and much of that supply is already spoken for. What Toyota can get in the format they use is probably for more than what they want to pay. How successful will a Rav4 Prime be if it costs as much as a Model Y with incentives?

The supply side is growing, but it takes time.

 

battery constraints are affecting a lot of companies. it's easy to see why tesla puts so much time into factories, strategic purchases and alliances, and vertical integration.

but tesla has no choice. toyota can afford to muddle around with hybrids and plug ins.

 

Let's not forget that for the US, the Rav4 Prime is 2021 model. Less than three thousand 2017 Prius Primes were sold in 2016.

 

Bottom line, Toyota has already said they have not been able to acquire enough batteries especially to - build bigger EV's. You can't build plugins or electric cars without batteries. China told manufacturers, build electric cars for us - or get out. So most battery's toyota buys, have to go to Toyotas' china bound EV market - which is huge, and much more accepting of little cars, with little motors. It's not a long-range big EV like the USA would want anyway;
Toyota unveils C-HR EV, Izoa electric cars in China - paultan.org
So - Toyota can get into bigger sized EV's once they get enough battery inventory to manufacture them.
One could always ask, "couldn't Toyota have been more strategic, and procured battery suppliers?" Hindsight is 20/20. Plus - Toyota was so fixed on hydrogen for so many years - that they wasted a lot of energy downplaying electric cars, instead of getting that technology dialed in perfectly. Yeah, they put batteries with hydrogen & batteries with ICE , but that's like a decathlon athlete where you have many talents, & none of them performed at their greatest ability as when one skill set gets devoted 100%.
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