In the Indian market, the Toyota RAV4 will likely retail as a CBU import, and it’s expected to only be available with a hybrid powertrain
Toyota RAV4 has been spotted during road testing in India once again. It was reported last year that Toyota is considering the RAV4 for the Indian market. Now, with multiple sightings of the test model(s), it seems like the launch will happen soon, likely sometime during this year.
The latest spy shot confirms that this is indeed the hybrid version, as we can clearly see the hybrid badge near the front wheel arch. The 8.0-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system is also visible in the picture. Other details worth noticing are the chrome door handles, chrome overlining for the windows, five-spoke alloy wheels, and disc brakes on all wheels.
The SUV also sports plastic cladding along the bottom, and also on the wheel arches. The overall design of the Toyota RAV4 is quite boxy. The vehicle also gets all-LED lighting (headlights, taillights, and DRLs), along with blacked-out ORVMs (with integrated LED turn indicators), roof rails, and a sporty roof-mounted spoiler.
The international-spec RAV4 is available with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which gets collision avoidance system with pedestrian detection (and automatic emergency braking), dynamic cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic high beam, and road sign detection. Other safety features include parking assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and eight airbags.
Under the hood of the Toyota RAV4 hybrid is a 2.5-litre petrol mill, mated to a CVT. This engine is assisted by either one or two electric motors, with the former being the FWD variant and the latter AWD variant. The peak power is rated at 215 BHP for the FWD models and 221 BHP for the AWD models. For the Indian market, we expect only the FWD version to be available.
We expect the Toyota RAV4 to arrive in India as a CBU import in limited numbers, in order to benefit from the homologation relaxation. However, being a CBU, the RAV4 will be subjected to high taxes. According to speculations, the price tag of the SUV will soar somewhere around the Rs. 60 lakh mark (ex-showroom) upon launch.