- Toyota Australia puts greater emphasis on hybrids, as a response to the growing customer demand.
- The Corolla, Camry, Corolla Cross, RAV4, and Kluger, are the latest models to go hybrid-only.
- The Gazoo Racing and Land Cruiser lineups will retain their non-electrified engines, including the HiLux pickup, the Fortuner SUV and the Hiace/Granvia vans.
Toyota is steering towards a carbon-neutral future in Australia by phasing out the non-hybrid versions of over half a dozen of its mainstream models. This shift means the company will no longer sell petrol-only (gasoline-only) versions of these vehicles.
The company attributes this hybrid-focused shift to robust customer demand—although one might wonder if it’s just good marketing. Toyota predicts that hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will make up more than half of its Australian sales by 2025.
More: Toyota GR Says No To EVs, Yes To Hybrids
Specifically, Toyota Australia has eliminated the ICE-only powertrain options from the lineups of the Corolla sedan, Camry sedan, Corolla Cross, RAV4, and Kluger SUVs. These models now join the ranks of the Yaris hatchback, Yaris Cross, Corolla hatchback, and C-HR crossover—all of which were already available exclusively in hybrid forms.
It’s worth noting that the Prius, once a hybrid trailblazer, has been discontinued in the Australian market and is not expected to make a return anytime soon.
Exempt from Toyota’s hybrid-only mandate is the performance-focused Gazoo Racing lineup—including the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR 86, and GR Supra—which currently lacks compatibility with electrification.
The Toyota HiLux pickup, which recently got a facelift with the addition of a mild-hybrid diesel, will continue to offer non-electrified powertrain options. This approach also applies to the mechanically-related Fortuner SUV, the entire Land Cruiser lineup (J70, J250, J300), and the HiAce/Granvia vans.
Toyota Corolla Cross
Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Franchise Operations, remarked that demand for hybrids in Australia is “consistently” increasing. “Faced with this surging demand, we were confident in the future of HEV as the dominant powertrain of choice for most passenger cars and SUVs, which led us to make decisions that would ultimately impact on sales of petrol-only models,” Hanley explained.
He also shared that the HEV share of Toyota’s sales in Australia reached a record 33.5 percent in 2023, escalating further to 46.6 percent in the first five months of 2024.
“So far this year, our total HEV sales have more than doubled to 46,821 vehicles compared with the same period last year, with all models continuing to attract strong demand. Overall, we have now sold more than 430,000 HEVs in Australia since launching the original Prius in October 2001,” Hanley added.
In a joint statement with Subaru and Mazda, Toyota recently re-confirmed its commitment to the development of combustion engines as part of its multi-pathway approach. The Japanese automaker is working on new 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline powertrains which will be inherently designed to be compatible with electrification and alternative fuels.
