American buyers rejected electrification like a bad heart transplant. Buzzwords like range anxiety and thermal runaway stopped EVs from reaching peak popularity. Hybrids, on the other hand, are a hot commodity. So much so that some would-be buyers are looking at almost nine months before they get their hands on a Toyota hybrid. 

Want a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or Prius? You had better be patient

Depending on where you live, you could have a child before you take delivery of a Toyota hybrid. No kidding, car shoppers in India could wait as long as nine months to get some of the brand’s hybrid-electric vehicles.

On this side of the planet, American buyers aren’t faring much better. California lots are brimming with Corollas and Tacomas. But you’ll need a search party to find a Prius, RAV4 Hybrid, or a Camry and its hybrid-only platform. Demand is nothing short of unquenchable.

So what gives? It’s a component sourcing issue. Toyota is having a hard time getting vital parts for its hybrid production, including inverters, magnets, and battery components, per Reuters. The brand’s suppliers can’t keep up with the demand for the Japanese brand’s hybrid vehicles. And that demand seems insatiable. In just five years, global demand for hybrids has tripled, making it one of the most profitable segments out there. 

But keeping up that demand is a monumental task. The majority of the components you’d find in one of Aichi’s coveted hybrids start life in Japan before riding the supply chain to factories for final assembly. The RAV4 PHEV, for instance, sources 0% of its parts from North America.

Instead, the NHTSA reports that the best-selling hybrid SUV is 80% Japanese componentry, despite many of the models rolling off the line at TMMK just down the road from Lexington, Kentucky. A slowdown in Aichi creates a traffic jam for Toyota’s hybrid supply elsewhere.

That brings us back to the delays. India’s hybrid-hungry market is suffering the most, with some models taking the better part of a year to reach buyers. In Europe, hybrid hunters are waiting as much as two months for their Toyotas. Even Japan, the brand’s home, is experiencing delays of up to five months.

To remedy the supplier follies, Toyota is considering shifting some hybrid component sourcing to individual markets. Think Indian parts suppliers to ease the delivery slowdown in India. In the meantime, tremendous demand isn’t showing signs of slowing any time soon.