mmarshall

The RAV-4 is not my cup of tea for several reasons (body styling, interior quality/materials, infotainment system) but there is no denying its success. It has consistently been a top-seller domestically among crossovers, and is now apparantly the top-selling vehicle on the planet, topping 1 million sales worldwide last year, with the Corolla a close second.

The RAV-4 has consistently been a top-seller among crossovers for a number of years. Here in the D.C. area, I see more RAV-4s on the road than probably any other vehicle, with a trio of Subarus......Crosstreks, Foresters, and Outbacks right behind.

The article also mentions the explosive rise of the Corolla Cross. IMO, it is a better buy than the RAV-4 (If I owned any Toyota product myself, it would be a Corolla Cross). But local Toyota shops here in the D.C. area simply can't get any...they blame the shortage on computer-chips, despite the fact that they seem to get supplies of other Toyota models. If supply here actually met demand, I am of the strong opinion that it would outsell the RAV-4 here. I plan to do a write-up on the Corolla Cross when I can review one that is unsold.


https://www.thedrive.com/news/toyota...R0AeiE3qC0h3IU


Automotive market analysis firm JATO has apparently been doing a lot of counting lately. It's figured out the top 10 best-selling cars globally in 2022, and unsurprisingly, Toyota has come out on top. The Japanese automaker's RAV4 is the best-selling passenger car on the planet with 1.016 million units sold globally. It was followed closely by another Toyota model, the Corolla, which sold 992,000 units.

This is no surprise. The RAV4 was the best-selling car globally in 2021 as well. 2022's third place went to the Tesla Model Y at 747,000 units, fourth was the Honda CR-V at 733,000 units, and fifth was another Toyota, the Camry, with 673,000 units. Over 45% of the Camry's sales came from North America, as well. In fact, four of the top six selling cars globally were sedans. Perhaps the form factor's imminent death is just a hair exaggerated.

Not all of the cars in the top ten were sold in the large global markets. Sixth place was held by the Toyota Hilux pickup, which is not sold in the U.S., seventh place was the only Nissan on the list, the Sentra, and eighth was a newcomer, the Corolla Cross. The Corolla Cross' rise was particularly impressive. The car was only released in 2021 but it has already skyrocketed to global sales hegemony in the compact crossover segment with 530,000 units sold.




The Corolla Cross is a huge hit, despite being "a car" if there ever was one. Toyota


Rounding out the list are two American cars, the Ford F-150 and the Tesla Model 3. Only Japanese or American manufacturers were represented on this list. The F-150's sales were 97% North American, with 525,000 units sold. The Tesla Model 3 had a more diverse mix, with about half of its 482,000 sales happening in North America, and roughly the two other quarters happening in Europe and China.

It's worth noting that this list is based purely on nameplateS, which means some cars got left out. The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 are practically the same truck, for instance, but because General Motors considers them separate models, neither truck appears on this list. If they were combined, they would sit slightly ahead of the F-150.

Overall, the number of new cars sold globally in 2022 shrank by 2% versus 2021. JATO—which has nothing to do with jet-assisted takeoff—expects global automobile prices to come down in 2023 as competition from China, especially in the context of EVs, grows considerably.

Toys4RJill

Thrilled this thing doesn’t have a 3 cylinder engine

mmarshall

It would probably sell even if it did. Most of its buyers, except perhaps for the hybrid versions, don't seem to care what is under the hood.

The Chevy Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX, BTW, are doing quite well with a turbo-three. And Toyota itself is using a turbo-three for its latest Pocket-Rocket high-performance Corolla.

JDR76

I have a lot of seat time in the current gen hybrid and I am always impressed. Great and smooth drivetrain with fantastic fuel mileage, a very comfortable interior, great materials and the features (at least on the Limited) are surprising. My folks have a 19 with about 30k miles on it and it hasn't developed a rattle or any other issue. I can see why they sell so well. I would consider one, especially a Prime, if I had a substantial commute.

tex2670

Yet. Rouge moved to 3 cylinder this year.... Most buyers would have no idea.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

wonder when it will surpass the prius as the best selling hybrid...only time will tell since the prius has been around longer. iirc the rav4 hybrid outsold the prius last year.

pbm317

I don't know, the Toyota 4 cylinder hybrids are just so groany and the ecvts don't do them any favors. The new CR-V Hybrids on the other hand are wonderfully fluid and have well-simulated gear shifts. Would absolutely take that over the RAV4 Hybrid. Of course CR-V doesn't offer up a PHEV and lacks some top spec features that the RAV4 has at least available.

xjokerz

Saying a vehicle has great interior materials is heavily subjective. Most people wouldn't agree with you, including me. I was not impressed at all. Felt very cheap.

No offense, but I would hope after 30k miles that there isn't an issue.

Striker223

I have a thing for the 1st gen RAV4, it's so damn cute and if I had a large property I would totally own one as a runabout.

Toys4RJill

the two door version. I think it has a removable roof. I remember somehow had a first gen model. So. Cool

Jakerin

My friend in Wales is on his second RAV4 and my daughter is taking possession of a new one in a couple weeks. It’s an XSE hybrid I think. She’ll be selling her Ford Edge that’s ten years old with 120K+ on it. I drove a loaner RAV4 and didn’t like it one bit though. Not sure I’d any high sitting vehicle unless it’s a pickup.

Fizzboy7

My dad has a 2023 XLE, and loves it. I drove it a few times and was surprisingly impressed. Powertrain was extremely smooth and responsive for a four pot, trans shifted like my Lexus, it was roomy, good visibility, good tech, and the materials felt decent. It's no luxury car, but I feel it's finished right for the price range. And yes, fuel mileage is stellar and there have been zero issues with it. I would totally consider one if I needed an economical and reliable SUV.

tex2670

There definitely was not a removable roof on any RAV4.

Toys4RJill

oh but there was…


and



mmarshall

Correct. The First-Generation two door version, which was offered from 1996 to 1999 in the U.S., came in both a hardtop and convertible soft-top version, but not with a removable roof as such. Very few two-doors, for whatever reason, were ever seen here in the D.C. area....I understand there were more of them on the West Coast.