Toyota Kirloskar Motor is planning to launch the RAV4 hybrid in the Indian market soon, likely as a small-volume CBU import
A new set of spy pictures of Toyota RAV4, testing on the streets of India, have emerged online. The vehicle was spotted on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Highway, near Navsari in Gujarat, and is expected to launch in India during the second half of this year. Only the rear section of the SUV is visible in these pictures, which seems identical to the international-spec model.
Thanks to the previous spy pictures, we have already confirmed that this test mule is a Toyota RAV4 hybrid. Its hybrid powertrain consists of a 2.5-litre petrol mill, mated to a CVT and electric motors. The FWD model (rated at 215 BHP of peak power) is offered with a single electric motor, while the AWD variant (221 BHP) comes with dual electric motors.
As per speculations, Toyota is planning to bring the RAV4 hybrid to the Indian market via the CBU import route. It will be imported in limited numbers, as the government of India allows a manufacturer to import up to 2,500 vehicles annually without the need for homologation. The Japanese carmaker already uses this strategy for Vellfire luxury MPV in India.
Toyota RAV4 is an extremely popular SUV overseas, thanks to the practicality, equipment, etc. The international-spec version gets features like LED headlamps, LED taillamps, digital rear-view mirror, Toyota Remote Connect, etc. As for safety features, the SUV also gets parking assist with auto braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert, and 8 airbags.
The RAV4 also gets Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 Suite, which offers a pre-collision system (with pedestrian detection and auto emergency braking), radar-based cruise control, automatic high beams, lane keep assist, lane departure alert with steering assist, and road sign recognition. We expect these features to be offered on the India-spec Toyota RAV4 as well.
Upon launch, Toyota RAV4 will likely be priced somewhere around Rs. 60 lakh (ex-showroom), which would make it significantly more expensive than the Fortuner. The RAV4 won’t have any direct competitors in the Indian market, and it would be a niche product like the Camry and Vellfire.