Toyota marks half-a-million RAV4 sales

TOYOTA Australia is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its RAV4 mid-sized SUV with an important milestone – 500,000 cumulative sales.

The official number of 501,546 local sales was reached at the end of June, a month that also celebrated the model’s third decade in Australian showrooms.

Toyota says the popularity of the RAV4 locally has accelerated over the years, taking more than 11 years to reach the first 100,000 sales, but fewer than three years for the most recent 100,000 deliveries.

The half-way point of 250,000 RAV4 sales was reached after more than 21 years on the market, yet the RAV4 has now doubled that total in fewer than nine years – or more than twice as fast. All the car’s best sales years have occurred in the past five years.

Toyota Australia says the RAV4 is on track to set another full-year sales record in 2024 with its mid-year tally at a new high of 25,405 units. This includes 5857 unit sales in April, of which 5504 were hybrid electric vehicles. Both figures are all-time records.

Hybrid variants were introduced with the fifth-generation RAV4 and since then have accounted for 72.4 per cent of all Australian model sales.

Australia has punched above its weight with demand for the RAV4. Local customers account for approximately 3.5 per cent of the 14 million RAV4 models sold globally, even though Australia’s population is just 0.33 per cent of the global total.

The RAV4 was also the first SUV to top the Aussie sales charts when it became the county’s best-selling car in July 2020. The following month, the RAV4 again entered the record books when its hybrid sales alone outsold every other vehicle available in Australia.

Looking back…

In 1989 Toyota signalled its interest in creating a compact all-wheel drive model when it displayed the RAV-FOUR (Recreational Active Vehicle Four-wheel drive) at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The production version was unveiled at the same show in 1993 and released in Australia in July of 1994.

Aimed primarily at urban users, the RAV4 is credited with starting our love affair with the SUV. It combined a higher ride height with car-like ride and handling properties and constant all-wheel drive and was powered initially by a 96kW 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission.

In 2000, the second generation RAV4 arrived as a larger, and more sophisticated take on the genre. Again offered in three- and five-door body styles, the small-segment SUV now offered dual front airbags, remote central locking, and a more powerful 110kW petrol engine.

A November 2003 upgrade saw the introduction of a 120kW 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, coupled with improved steering and handling, and higher equipment levels.

The third generation RAV4 was introduced in 2006 and was built on an all-new platform offering a longer wheelbase and wider track. With greater interior space and equipment, the model moved to offer a choice of 125kW four-cylinder petrol power and part-time AWD.

In 2007 Toyota offered the RAV4 with a 3.5-litre V6 engine for the first time, the gutsy 201kW unit the most powerful naturally aspirated engine offered by Toyota in Australia at the time – and the most powerful in its segment by a considerable margin.

The third-generation RAV4 was updated in late 2008 with cosmetic changes joining the inclusion electronic stability control and active front seat head restraints. A two-wheel drive version was introduced in 2010.

For the fourth generation, introduced in 2013, the RAV4 now offer two petrol engines, a turbo-diesel option, and an all-new AWD system.

Two-wheel drive variants were powered by a 107kW four-cylinder petrol unit with six-speed manual or CVT offering, while all-wheel drive variants offered a choice of a 132kW 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol or 110kW 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, both with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

The range was updated in 2015 with Euro5 compliant engines, trailer sway control, and new active safety and driver assistance technologies.

For the fifth and current generation, launched in 2019, we find the RAV4 underpinned by Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) offering a lowered centre of gravity, lighter weight, and a stronger chassis.

The first hybrid RAV4 is introduced, offering 160kW front- and 163kW all-wheel drive options, alongside a 127kW 2.0-litre petrol-powered front-wheel drive alternative. The range-topping RAV4 Edge offers a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol developing 152kW and paired with an eight-speed automatic.

“Customer demand has never been higher for the RAV4 because it delivers a winning formula that combines SUV fun and adventure with passenger-car ride, handling and economy, just as it’s done for three decades,” said Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley.

“The RAV4 enters honoured company in reaching 500,000 sales in Australia, joining other Toyota icons in Corolla, HiLux, LandCrusier and Camry, all of which have now exceeded one million sales.”