Toyota unveils 'first all-electric SUV'

[FarCenter]

Toyota unveiled Monday what it says is the first all-electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) on the market, a version of its popular RAV4 with a top range of 100 miles and minimum six-hour charge time.

The car will be sold initially only in California with a base price of $49,800, and the Japanese car company hopes to sell a relatively modest 2,600 units over the next three years.

Toyota Motor Sales USA executive Bob Carter said the company believes the car will "attract sophisticated early technology adopters, much like the first-generation Prius," Toyota's pioneering hybrid car launched 15 years ago.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120508-toyota-unveils-first-all-electric-suv

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I will be interested to see how well it does.

I think they're being smart, with their modest sale goals, and by offering it in California, where there is more interest in all-electric vehicles than in other states.

[PoliticAverse]

2. This could be big with those that feel guilty for driving their SUVs. n/t

[pipoman]

3. Toyota has an interesting marketing technique

which stems from the limitations of importing vehicles for so many years. Rather than Toyota dealers ordering a specific car, they build cars and "allocate" them to dealers based on sales volume. The dealer has no choice. If the dealer can't get a customer to buy a car on their lot (usually because of color) they have to make a trade with another Toyota dealer who has the car they need. They have made certain high demand vehicles difficult for dealers to get for a long time. Land Cruisers, various AWD models, MR2s have all been short supplied in years gone by. The dealers were able to get money over the sticker price by these manufactured shortages. I suspect these cars will be selling for over sticker.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. "sophisticated early technology adopters..." LOLOL

Do they mean sophisticated like Apple fans who've bought every iPhone and iPad? That kind of sophisticated?

100 miles MAX, after 6 hours MINIMUM, means without using the radio or AC, I can go maybe 400 miles in a day? Unloaded? No. Thanks.

Why would anyone need an all-electric SUV anyway?

[Selatius]

5. The vehicle is likely geared towards city or suburban drivers who commute to work.

An all-electric Nissan Leaf gets comparable mileage without using the same amount of construction materials needed to build a bona fide SUV. Most people who buy this vehicle are--I suspect--people who don't want to give up the notion of driving an SUV but are suffering a guilty conscience over wasting gas or are starting to get tired of blowing out so much money on gasoline. Also, a Leaf costs a lot less as well, but this vehicle is likely geared towards a crowd that probably wouldn't even seriously consider such a vehicle.

[dmallind]

7. Yes that's normal - most used cars I see have 146,000 per year on them. nt

[Javaman]

6. didn't toyota already have an electric rav4 in the past?