Will your new car get caught up in Toyota's hybrid delays? Toyota Australia has a message for buyers of RAV4, Kluger and Corolla Cross

Toyota buyers around the world are facing extended delays on delivery of their newly purchased cars due to a rise in the popularity of hybrids. We asked Toyota Australia if the shortage affects us here, too.

The delays are all down to a shortage of components for hybrid vehicles which have become popular following several years in which fully electric vehicles went through a boom, only for interest to start tapering off.

The surge in popularity for hybrids has forced Toyota to rush to meet the increase in demand with the company saying it would boost production. Toyota also released a statement appearing to play down the matter. 

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"Currently, the production capacity for hybrid parts and components from our suppliers and our in-house parts manufacturing is line with our annual production plans and our vehicle assembly capacity," it said.

A concerning factor is that the shortage of parts affecting vehicle delivery time is widespread. Hybrid stock is low in the United States, Japan, China and Europe according to a report from Reuters news agency.

Australia has also seen an increase in demand for hybrid vehicles with last year’s total sales up by 39.9 per cent on 2023 and while there is still a growing appetite for electric cars here, the uptake appears to be slowing with 2024’s total up by 10 per cent.

The news appears to support Toyota’s long held view that despite an interest in fully electric vehicles consumers would return to hybrids. 

Toyota Australia has long maintained hybrids would become the preferred choice over electric cars. The company has only one electric vehicle - the bZ4X - on sale here, while the rest of its range is almost entirely hybrid including the RAV4, Kluger, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Yaris and Yaris Cross. 

CarsGuide asked Toyota Australia if the current hybrid shortage would affect local buyers.

“Hybrid-electric vehicles account for more than half our sales this year,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said. 

“Supply is healthy, both now and confirmed for the coming months. Customers placing an order today can expect to receive their vehicle in less than four months on average.”

Currently wait times are nothing compared to how long customers were waiting on cars in 2022 when COVID-19 and a semi-conductor shortage blew delivery times out to a year for certain in-demand Toyota models.