These hot rod PHEVs will be a bit thin at first.
Craig Cole / Roadshow
Toyota’s RAV4 Prime is a much more exciting car than you might think – it is the second fastest car in Toyota’s lineup and has over 300 horsepower. The RAV4 Prime is also extremely efficientwhat our husband Craig Cole found out recently. These things together and combined in a crossover mean that the RAV4 Prime is for sales size, right?
Well, maybe not so much, but not because people are not trying to buy them. According to a report released by Car and Driver on Friday, Toyota has supply problems. The Japanese automaker originally planned to build 5,000 RAV4 primes to the United States in its first year of production. That’s not a lot, as the RAV4 usually sells hundreds of thousands a year, but it looks like Toyota will struggle to produce that many itself.
Why? Batteries, my friend. According to Toyota spokesman Nicky Hamila, Toyota has encountered “unforeseen battery supply restrictions”. It is not entirely clear where the problem lies in the supply chain, but it is clear that many people considering a RAV4 Prime this year will be disappointed.
This is especially true if these people live in ZEV (Non-Zero Emission Vehicle) countries. Toyota plans to shift the delivery of primes to states like California to meet the fleet’s emissions targets. Even if you live in a ZEV state, there is no way of knowing whether your dealer will try Highlight the assigned prime numbers make money quickly. It happens.
We’re trying to say that you probably have to, if you really hope that a plug-in hybrid crossover will land in your driveway this year appearance elsewhere or just wait until next year.