Toyota has just celebrated another dominant year in Australia, recording its highest number of deliveries in 14 years and experiencing an all-time high in demand.
However, it also remains a victim of its own success, with demand and ongoing production issues resulting in years-long wait times on some of the most popular nameplates.
Aside from the LandCruiser 70, whose orders are still closed, the worst affected models remain the RAV4 and Camry (hybrid in particular), and the LandCruiser 300 Series.
MORE: Toyota Australia records best sales in 14 years, dominates charts
“We expect supply uncertainty to continue into 2023,” Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley told us.
“We have advised the RAV4 hybrid, Camry hybrid, and LandCruiser 300 have the longest wait times,” he said.
Expect to wait at least 12-24 months for your RAV4 hybrid, and at least as long for a gasoline-electric Camry. The waiting time for the LandCruiser 300 is slightly better, at 12-18 months, according to Mr Hanley.
“Although I don’t see this changing much for the first half [of 2023], I hope for the second half we will see some improvement. I want to reassure customers that we are doing everything possible.”
Different dealers report different wait times depending on their inventory and order bank, so your best bet is to try a few.
Mr Hanley went on to say that inquiry levels for Toyota vehicles are returning to pre-COVID levels which, perhaps counter-intuitively, means a reduction.
Toyota’s well-publicized supply shortages and subsequent waiting lists prompted many people who hadn’t been ready to buy for a year or more to order their cars regardless, just to queue.
“We, like many others in the industry, have unprecedented levels of demand. I’ve never seen it that high, [and] in reality we are talking about the level of investigation dropping to pre-COVID levels,” Mr Hanley said, again apologizing to affected customers.
“To the many customers who have been waiting, we say a thousand thanks. Do we celebrate [the 2022 sales results]? We are happy, but number one is a privilege, not a right.”
Mr Hanley predicts another year of 200,000-plus sales in 2023, equivalent to maintaining around 20 per cent market share or more.
“We enter 2023 with a very healthy order bank. We are not satisfied, ultimately the final result will depend on continued supply.”
MORE: Toyota Australia records best sales in 14 years, dominates charts