It turns out that in the Toyota lineup, there can be more than one Highlander. Contrary to recent online rumors, the automaker has stated its intention to continue selling the standard Highlander model in North America despite sliding sales.
Apparently, this rumor appears to have originated with a YouTube creator named Kirk Kreifels, who predicted the model’s demise by the end of the 2024 model year. It subsequently spread to other mediums, including on Reddit where we first read about it. Kreifels admits that he does not have official confirmation but claims to be “hearing” that the crossover is in trouble. However, a Toyota spokesperson told us otherwise, confirming that the model will continue.
“The Toyota Highlander will continue to play an important role in our lineup as a 3-row SUV,” a spokesperson told us. “Toyota announced the 2024 Highlander model this past September, which included the addition of a Highlander Hybrid Nightshade model.”
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The spokesperson confirmed that the automaker has sold 157,213 Highlanders this year through November, so its sales are far from minimal. Quite the opposite, as with 138,178 deliveries from January to September 2023, the Highlander (not including sales of the Grand Highlander) is the fifth best-selling model in the Toyota and Lexus range, trailing behind the RAV4 (302k), Camry (217k), Tacoma (179k), and Corolla (165k).
However, in September (when Toyota last reported quarterly sales), deliveries of the vehicle were down 16 percent for the year up to that point.
Unfortunately, sales of the Grand Highlander didn’t start until part way through the year, so year-to-date figures can’t be compared directly. If we focus in on September, sales of the two models were fairly even, with the Grand Highlander only just outselling the plain Highlander: 10,177 to 9,407.
The fact that Highlander sales are slowing down a bit following the introduction of the Grand Highlander should not come as a surprise. It’s a new option for Toyota customers who want an ever roomier three-row crossover, but don’t want a body-on-frame SUV, like the Sequoia or the 4Runner, so it’s only natural that it would poach some of the smaller model’s customers.
Interestingly, combined, sales of the Highlander and Grand Highlander amount to more or less how many of the former the automaker sold last year, before the introduction of the larger model. If sales continue to slide in the direction of the Grand Highlander, Toyota may reconsider the smaller crossover’s place in the lineup, but for now, it appears to remain committed to the Highlander.