Toyota wait times in Australia detailed: LandCruiser, RAV4 Hybrid worst hit

Customers who have ordered a new Toyota could be waiting up to a year, as the car giant continues to grapple with ongoing global supply chain shortages.

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SUV and LandCruiser 70 Series four-wheel drive are most affected by production delays, with a Toyota spokesperson telling Drive the average wait for these two models is 12 months.

These delays aren’t likely to improve soon, as Toyota plans to scale back production in its Japanese factories over the coming months.

According to Reuters, Toyota will reduce output of its Japanese production lines by up to 20 per cent in the months of April, May and June.

While the ongoing global semiconductor shortage continues to wreak havoc on manufacturers, the ongoing war in Ukraine is also affecting the supply of many crucial elements needed to build a new vehicle.

The production slowdown has been described as a ‘cooling off period’ by Toyota President Akio Toyoda, which is designed to help reduce the risk of suppliers becoming ‘exhausted’.

Despite the production cuts, a Toyota spokesperson told Reuters that the company hasn’t reduced its target of building 8.5 million vehicles for the calendar year.

Toyota Australia has also vowed not to remove equipment and technology from vehicles, in an attempt to reduce the number of semiconductors each vehicle needs and speed up delivery times.

The Toyota spokesperson told Drive the dealership network is best-placed to update customers on delivery estimates and waiting times, and the company’s focus is on “doing everything we can to get customers into their new Toyota vehicles as soon as possible.”

“As the availability of supply is an evolving situation around the world, we continue to work closely with our global production team to secure the maximum possible number of vehicles for our local customers.”