Toyota plans to produce in the United States the next generation of its RAV4, its
The best -selling SUV in the US market according to three sources close to the file. Therefore, the automobile manufacturer becomes the last to rethink its supply chain to mitigate the impact of US customs tariffs on imported vehicles. Toyota manufactures the current version of the popular SUV in Kentucky, Canada and Japan. Toyota had initially planned to export the new RAV4 to the United States from Canada and Japan, but now plans to produce it in Kentucky, these sources said, which they wanted to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information.
The opening of a production line in the United States would reduce the impact of customs tariffs of 25% imposed by President Donald Trump on imported cars, while avoiding potentially higher costs linked to yen fluctuations, he added two of these sources. Toyota plans to present a reworking RAV4 2026, its first review since 2019, at the end of this year, before a gradual launch in world markets, according to one of the sources. The manufacturer has not yet specified the launch calendar in the United States.
A production that would begin since 2027
Toyota has not finished its production plans yet, the sources said. Any modification cannot be implemented rapidly and requires long -term planning, explained one of them, due to tedious and expensive work, implies the rehabilitation of factories and the adjustment of supply chains. If the car manufacturer continues his project in Kentucky, the production could begin in 2027, added one of these sources. Whatever the result, the general production of Toyota vehicles in Canada must be maintained, according to sources.
Toyota said he continued to constantly examine the means to optimize his production to better serve his customers and guarantee stable work to his employees. “We have nothing to announce at this time and we will not comment on the speculation,” Toyota said, questioned the production projects of the new version of RAV4 in Kentucky.
Already 11 Toyota factories in the United States
The RAV4 was the best selling vehicle in the United States last year, going beyond the Ford F-15 truck, according to Jato Dynamics. The Japanese manufacturer sold more than 475,000 RAV4 in the United States last year, which represents a fifth of its total vehicle sales in this country.
The exact amount of the new RAV4 that Toyota will produce in the United States remains uncertain. Toyota has 11 factories in the United States, including spare parts production sites, and won almost 1.3 million vehicles in 2024, more than half of its sales of 2.3 million cars in the United States. Toyota had announced this month his intention to continue carrying out his activities normally and focus on reducing fixed costs, without taking more radical measures, such as the increase in vehicle prices in response to customs tasks.
Source: BFM TV
