In the summer of 2024, we put forward that the new Toyota Camry going hybrid-only made it the most important car in the world. Cheap gas simply isn't a thing anymore, even in the US, and all-electric cars still have a long way to go before they are the dominant species on the road. So many automakers have swallowed the hype and tried to jump from gas-only-powered cars to all-electric, missing the crucial step in between to help ween us off of such a heavy reliance on gas. The new Camry showed Toyota understands this and is ready to lead the way. Now, it has gone a step further and made the RAV4 a hybrid-only model.
It's easy to overlook what a monumental step this is for Toyota. Toyota is the best-selling automaker in the world, and the RAV4 is currently its biggest-selling model in the US. By taking the RAV4 hybrid only, it's a show of confidence and a signal to all other automakers that hybrid drivetrains are the mainstream reality for the foreseeable future. However, the hybrid rollout Toyota is getting into could spell doom for the car that started the hybrid revolution – the Toyota Prius.
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