Toyota Dealers Struggling With RAV4 Shortages Get 1 Simple Solution
Good luck getting your hands on a Toyota RAV4. There’s a bit of an inventory shortage that’s stressing dealerships out. But Toyota has a pretty easy fix for these problems. It’s telling dealers to sell other cars instead.
Toyota tells dealerships to sell other cars amid RAV4 shortage
The Toyota RAV4 recently launched its six-generation. This timing comes at an interesting time, as the fifth-generation model has been the best-selling SUV for years. Drivers can’t get enough of this model.
However, as factories receive updates to build the new model, production has been disrupted. Dealerships are struggling with reduced inventory levels. As dealers struggle to provide what drivers want, they’re being advised to follow simple instructions.
Group Vice President at Toyota North America suggests that dealers to use this opportunity to sell other cars like the Toyota Crown, Crown Signia, BZ, and electric vehicles. These cars are similar in size but don’t come anywhere close to the RAV4 in terms of sales.
I would argue that the Toyota Corolla Cross is a solid SUV alternative that costs less than the RAV4. But going up in size could also be an issue.
According to Auto News, dealerships are also reporting that they don’t have enough Toyota 4Runner models. The majority of available inventory is currently taken up by trucks like the Tundra and Tacoma.
Anytime a big model goes through a transition, there’s a temporary volume drop. The same thing happened when the current generation of the Toyota Tacoma launched. But Toyota claims this doesn’t have to result in lost sales.
Also, Toyota is working to provide a broad mix of inventory levels. Instead of only selling higher trim levels like the Platinum and XLE options, base models will be provided to keep prices down.
