Toyota’s U.S. market delivery results are in and the big news is that hybrids are massively popular with consumers.
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Toyota’s Q1 U.S. delivery results are out and hybrids are selling like gangbusters. American preference for hybrids and plug-in hybrids could not be more evident. Combined, Toyota and Lexus’ electrified vehicles grew by 74% in Q1 2024 vs. Q1 of last year. Toyota’s electrified vehicles include fuel-cell electric vehicles, battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles, and two types of hybrid-electric vehicles Toyota calls standard and max.
The Biggest news is the RAV4 Hybrid AWD. Toyota delivered a staggering 21,801 just in March. For the quarter, Toyota delivered nearly 60,000, meaning that this model would likely be counted among the top-selling vehicles in America overall. And that’s just the hybrid trims. Toyota’s RAV4 overall looks to be the most popular personal use vehicle choice in America. If Ford will provide F-150 data and Tesla will provide Model Y data we would know for certain. The RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle was another highlight with 7,767 delivered in Q1, up by 43% over Q1 2023. Augmenting Toyota's RAV4 Hybrid deliveries are solid sales of the Corolla Cross Hybrid and Venza Hybrid. Toyota is the only brand offering three AWD hybrid compact crossovers with ATPs in the $30K range.
No Other Brand Can Match Toyota’s Electrified Vehicle Offerings
No other automaker doing business in America has as many electrified vehicle offerings as does Toyota. Toyota has trucks, minivans, small sedans, midisize sedans, hatchbacks, small wagons, crossovers, and SUVs with hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, battery-electric, and fuel-cell-electric powertrains. Lexus adds premium electrified sports cars to this list. In total, Toyota and Lexus offer a whopping 27 green vehicle choices.
The vehicle Toyota needs a replacement for, and soon, is the bZ4X battery-electric vehicle. In March we saw first-hand that dealers are offering as much as $8,500 off this vehicle, along with special financing deals to help this slow mover along. It is apparent that as of this point in time, shoppers do not look to Toyota for battery-electric vehicles. The Lexus RZ BEV is also underperforming. Now in its second year of sales, the RZ is selling at a rate under 1,000 units per month.
The Prius is selling well for a car in 2024. However, the Corolla Hybrid is outselling it now by about two to one. Incredibly, Toyota and Lexus offer a total of seven car choices with hybrid powertrains. This does not include the bZ4X and Mirai, which are BEVs and FCEVs.
Those who wish to plug in their vehicle will find eight choices from Toyota and Lexus. That puts Toyota’s combined brands in a neck-and-neck race with Hyundai/Kia/Genesis for the automaker family with the most plug-in choices.
Toyota stands out among other automakers in its commitment to transparency. No other automaker provides as much detail about its electrified vehicle deliveries as Toyota does. Hyundai comes close, providing some top-level points, but then neglecting the details. Tesla, on the other hand, remains a mystery, refusing to disclose how many vehicles it sells in America and providing only global delivery figures without individual model breakdowns. This raises the question: what is Tesla hiding?
Conclusion - Toyota Best Positioned Green-Vehicle Automaker Heading Into Q2
Among all automakers, Toyota is best-positioned to capture green vehicle shoppers in the U.S. The company’s two brands offer the most variety of electrified powertrains. The Hyundai/Kia/Genesis trio is second with regard to choices. Ford is third with BEV, PHEV, and hybrid offerings across a wide variety of vehicle types.
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.
Image Notes: Toyota dealership display image highlighting electrified vehicles by John Goreham. Image of bZ4X charging by John Goreham. Image of Toyota Prius by John Goreham. Image of RAV4 Prime plugged in by John Goreham. Image of RAV4 Hybrid by John Goreham. Chart of Q1 2024 electrified vehicle deliveries courtesy of Toyota.
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