Toyota Bumping Up RAV4 Production By 50,000 Units Annually

by Derek Kreindler

March 29th, 2012 11:02 AM

toyota bumping up rav4 production by 50 000 units annually

Toyota will increase production of the Toyota RAV4 from 150,000 to 200,000 per year at their Woodstock, Ontario, Canada plant. The investment will add 400 new jobs and Toyota’s investment will total $80 million.

Toyota credited strong sales of the RAV4 in North America for the increase in production.What isn’t clear is whether the increase, scheduled to start in 2013, will coincide with the introduction of a new generation of RAV4. The current car has been on sale since 2005, at which point the car will be 8 years old. Antiquated technology, like a 4-speed automatic, is still used on certain models. Given the length of time it’s been on the market, a new car should be expected very soon, along with a RAV4 EV.

#Crossover #Plant #Production #SUV #Toyota #ToyotaRav4

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Gleanerizer on Mar 29, 2012

This was quite a long model cycle; the RAV4 line was about ready for a refresh when I got my 2008. Its sales in NA don't surprise me; mine has been very easy to live with, and it's quite versatile for a vehicle of its footprint. The tailgate is annoying, but I would not trade the full-size, tailgate-mounted spare for a better one (not with my luck with flats). It doesn't need to be bigger; if anything, it could shrink a bit. I would be surprised if Toyota did more than tweak the engines, add a six-speed across the line, fix the stupidly complicated non-standard rear glass wiper if they haven't yet, and call it a day.

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- Pete Zaitcev on Mar 29, 2012
  
  What's so complicated and non-standard about the rear wiper on RAV? It's exactly the same as on any other SUV, including the way you lift it for washing, by flipping the root cap. Of course I only learned about it after driving those other SUVs. The only issue I heard about was that it sweeps snow into a pile on top of the spare, which eventually reduces the speep area (wasn't a problem for me, since I lived where it never snowed).
  
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- Gleanerizer on Mar 30, 2012
  
  @Pete Zaitcev As someone coming into this vehicle from a long string of compacts (and lacking your wider in-SUV-class experience), I'm puzzled by why the rear wiper is such an affair to change out compared to the fronts. I've circumvented the issue by using shears to cut the actual rubber blades (metal reinforcement strip and all) from cheap ANCO's and using them to refresh the rear. It's the only car maintenance item I've felt compelled to "cheat" on. I am also fortunate to live where there's little snow, (Dallas) so I can mark that particular snow issue "N/A".
  
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Redliner on Mar 29, 2012

Half the problems with the Rav4 (4-speed transmission) can be fixed just by ordering the V6. The 3.5 is a great motor and it still gets competitive mpg. The other issues, like the funky-cheap interior, not so much.

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Caraholica on Mar 30, 2012

This thing may be aging but a few miles in the V6 will change the way you look at them forever, its a real hot rod. Well,an SUV hot rod. But it handles surprisingly well even without 18" wheels. The used ones still sell for a fortune. This generation is still better looking than the look-at-me-I'm-a-refrigerator styling that the gen will be cursed with. Biggest problem still seems to be finding a 2012, our local southern calif lots have next to none.

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Dhanson865 on Mar 30, 2012

They toyed around with a RAV4 EV back in the day. Is the ramping up of the new RAV4 a precursor to slapping a Prius label on a hybrid version of it?

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