Gah, the crossoverpocalypse continues

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
10/03/2017 at 15:08 • Filed to: crossovers, prius, smug alert, hybrid, toyota, rav4

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In case of Kinja, 5759 RAV4 Hybrids sold in the past month, a 34.2% increase over last year, while 5722 Prii (the regular one, not the v, c, or Prime plug-in) sold, a 43.8% decrease from last year.

Note that both vehicles launched for MY2016, too.

It’d be nice if they put Camry Hybrid numbers in here (especially given Toyota’s own predictions of the RAV4 surpassing the Camry in sales for calendar year 2017, even with a new generation of Camry), but I also would say that it’s too soon to get reliable Camry Hybrid numbers for the new generation.

(The v and c tanking is, of course, expected - they’re both coming up on six years old, and both are types of vehicle that have always been awkward relative to US preferences.)

DISCUSSION (7)

Under_Score > bhtooefr
10/03/2017 at 15:10

The v is the wagon everyone forgets about.

HammerheadFistpunch > Under_Score
10/03/2017 at 15:29

I think they are killing it after MY17

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > bhtooefr
10/03/2017 at 15:40

Meh. I really have no issue with generic, soulless crossovers taking over generic, soulless sedans. I wish there were more wagons but that dream is dead and buried haha.

duurtlang > Under_Score
10/03/2017 at 15:45

It is hideous though, even from the perspective of a Prius. A wagon shouldn’t be (and usually isn’t) hideous.

Under_Score > HammerheadFistpunch
10/03/2017 at 15:50

I don’t know how it’d do based off of a new Prius. Plus, the RAV4 Hybrid fills the niche the v held, and the RAV4 is doing much better for sales as this post highlights.

HammerheadFistpunch > Under_Score
10/03/2017 at 15:52

pretty much. It wont be as efficient as a v but given that people will actually buy it, it will have a greater impact on the world.

bhtooefr > Under_Score
10/03/2017 at 17:52

I also think it’ll depend on the market, but I see a ton of overlap in Toyota’s product line that makes the /v/+ pretty redundant, especially in light of Toyota’s recent strategy of hybridizing “normal” locally-produced models instead of creating special Prius sub-models.

A next-generation RAV4 Hybrid would likely be able to match or beat Prius v fuel efficiency for the US market (using the new Camry Hybrid’s powertrain), and the US being crossover crazy and the Prius v never having gotten a third row in the US means that it’ll by default be the Prius v successor here.

In the Japanese market, Toyota has the Wish as an almost identically-sized vehicle, in the same role (three row tallish wagon) and on the same family of platforms (MC) as the Prius - a third-generation Wish Hybrid could perfectly replace the Prius in Japan. And, in some Asian markets, Toyota has instead positioned the Sienta, a three-row Vitz/Yaris-based minivan (complete with the Yaris Hybrid/Aqua/Prius c’s powertrain available as an option) as a Wish replacement.

In the European market, Toyota has the (Corolla) Verso as a small three-row offering. It’s not as big as the Prius +, but as it’s an aged product, they could replace it with a third-generation Wish if there’s demand for that segment.