Toyota Australia’s decision to launch the redesigned RAV4 with a diesel engine option has resulted in 30% of orders being for models with the 2.2-litre turbodiesel compared with the long term forecast of 20%.
The diesel is available only with all-wheel drive (AWD) and has accounted for 46% of AWD sales.
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Local new vehicle trade group FCAI last month highlighted “strong sales of small SUVs in March 2013, with monthly sales of 7,541 up by 41.3% (2,205 vehicles) compared to 2012”.
Toyota Australia’s sales and marketing chief Tony Cramb said: “Diesel SUV sales rose 37% last year, so the introduction of the RAV4 turbo-diesel has enabled Toyota to compete for the first time in this growth area of the medium SUV segment.”
Local engineers had worked with the parent company in Japan to achieve an increase in the RAV4 diesel’s official braked towing capacity to 1,000kg from July production.
Cramb added: “Customers say they particularly like the new tailgate that opens upwards and the relocation of the spare wheel and tyre from the back door to under the cargo floor.”
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By GlobalDataDealers were selling a “richer model mix than planned” with top-spec Cruiser AWD variants accounting for 19% of sales – almost double the level expected.
The id-range GXL was running at almost 40% – about 10% higher than forecast.
Entry-level GX was also nudging 40% compared with early expectations it would account for at least 60% of total sales.
