2024 Toyota Prado wait times won’t blow out to two years like RAV4 Hybrid, company says

Toyota Australia is aware it has lost sales to rival brands due to extended wait times for models such as the RAV4, and has implemented a solution to ensure the upcoming in-demand Prado won’t suffer the same fate.

Speaking to Drive at the launch of the second-generation C-HR, Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley said the brand has taken on board feedback about its long wait times, and won’t over-sell its allocation of vehicles.

“Particularly as we launch Prado in the second half of the year – it’s about what you learn, and we learned a lot through that period,” he said.

“And whilst it sounds impressive to say you had a long wait list and you’ve got a big order bank; it comes with its own challenges. We don’t believe that’s in the best interests of our customers going forward.

“We’re trying to put in place for Prado in the second half of the year … we’re going to say to our dealers, this is your allocation for the year, that’s it.

“Please don’t oversell that allocation, by all means, take expressions of interest beyond that if you’ve got customers, but don’t promise. This is your allocation for the year, so it’s finite.”

While Mr Hanley would not be drawn on the exact number of new-generation Prados due to launch in Australia in the second half of the year – believed to be closer to the middle of the year, than the end – he said supply would be “healthy”.

Last year, Toyota sold 20,710 examples of the outgoing Prado, making it the most popular vehicle in the 'large SUV under $70,000' category, beating the Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, and Subaru Outback.

Mr Hanley also pointed to the local appetite for all things LandCruiser, including the Prado, 300 Series, and 70 Series, which gives Toyota Australia a stronger voice when negotiating for a share of global production.

Toyota Australia says the worst of the stock shortages are behind it, with the two-year wait on the RAV4 Hybrid after the worst of the pandemic now down to about 12 months – and planned to drop to just four to six months soon.

“You’ll always have variables in any supply chain, even in a normal year, things happen,” Mr Hanley said.

“You can never predict what could happen next week, but based on