Toyota Australia is anticipating a huge year of hybrid sales, enough to make the brand’s electrified range alone the third best-selling ‘brand’ in the country.
Speaking with media at the launch of the second-generation, all-hybrid C-HR crossover, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said the brand expects around 90,000 hybrid sales in 2024 – up around 25 per cent from last year.
“This year alone, as many as 90,000 consumers, perhaps more, will take delivery of an affordable Toyota hybrid that can reduce their carbon impact immediately, irrespective of their location, or their infrastructure status,” Mr Hanley said.
“In the future, we are planning to carefully evolve our model portfolio to accelerate the opportunity for all customers to reduce their carbon footprint, ensuring we deliver on Toyota’s commitment to provide mobility for all and leave no one behind on this journey.”
RAV4 Hybrid
Should Toyota hybrid sales crack the 90,000 barrier this year, that would mean the brand’s electrified portfolio would outsell most other brands in Australia based on last year’s VFACTS new vehicle sales figures.
In 2023 the Toyota brand delivered 215,240 vehicles – with a 33.5 per cent hybrid mix, or 72,084 vehicles. Mazda was second place overall with 100,008 registrations, and Ford third with 87,800.
Looking purely at Toyota’s hybrid sales in 2023, it would have sat just behind overall sales for Kia (76,120) and Hyundai (75,183).
However, 90,000 hybrid sales would see the Toyota hybrid range leapfrog the Koreans as well as Ford based on 2023 sales results, and Toyota is doubling down with recent announcements seeing the Camry, Yaris Cross, C-HR, Corolla Hatch and Yaris Hatch ranges going all-hybrid in Australia.
Mr Hanley also hinted that more nameplates could go hybrid-only moving forward as well.
5th Gen Prius
Despite the number of hybrid-only model ranges, Mr Hanley poured cold water on the chances of the trailblazing Prius nameplate returning to the Australian market, even with imminent emissions regulations.
“It just doesn’t really fit in to our product portfolio going forward,” Mr Hanley said at the launch of the all-hybrid new-generation C-HR crossover.
“There are no hidden reasons, it’s a great looking car, it’s had great commentary overseas, but right now we have C-HR and a whole bunch of other cars – it’s just a matter of what we believe will sell in volume in the Australian market.”
The fifth-generation Prius offers both hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrain options and is already on sale in various overseas markets like Japan, Europe, the UK and North America. That said, the new C-HR offers much of the same drivetrain lineup with similarly distinctive looks.
After starting its Australian hybrid journey with the Prius in 2001, Toyota Australia has reported over 402,300 hybrid sales Down Under alone. Further, 75 per cent of that total figure has been delivered in just the last five years.
Mr Hanley told media that Toyota’s hybrid sales mix across its lineup in 2023 was an impressive 33.5 per cent – given the diesel-only HiLux and LandCruiser range are amongst its top sellers – while so far in 2024 that mix is tracking even higher at 40.7 per cent as of the end of February.
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