Initial sales of Toyota RAV4 EV limited to California

Toyota RAV4 EV – Click above for high-res image gallery

While it's been confirmed that the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV will "definitely be sold to the general public," Toyota's definition of general public, at least initially, apparently only means residents of California. That appears to be the message conveyed to Ward's Auto by Bob Carter, group vice-president and general manager of Toyota Motor U.S.

Carter told Ward's Auto the electric crossover will initially be sold exclusively in the Golden State. Carter didn't reveal much else, but he did mention that electric vehicles are low-volume and, as Ward's Auto says, "of only regional interest at this point."

Could it be that Toyota only intends to sell the RAV4 EV in California? We doubt it, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if Toyota offers the RAV4 EV on some sort of limited, state-by-state rollout, similar to the U.S. launches of the Nissan Leaf and the Ford Focus Electric.




Source: Autoblog Green