TOKYO: Toyota has showed off an image and a brief message about a new hybrid model. The US-market 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, picture-teased here, will debut at the coming New York Auto Show on the 2nd of April, 2015.
Apart from a brief message that reads, “The 2016 RAV4 Hybrid. See it April 2, 12:30 p.m. EDT at the New York International Auto Show,” everything else about the car has been left to speculation for now, but it wouldn’t surprise us too much to see a familiar Toyota powertrain employed in the hybrid model.
Interestingly, the words “Limited” are placed above the ‘hybrid’ lettering around the back of the car, suggesting the obvious that this may well be a limited edition model, just like the second-gen RAV4 EV – a joint-initiative Toyota had with Tesla back in 2012 saw the team produce a limited run of 2,600 units, planned for the first three years, with sales reserved purely for California (largely because of the state’s special rebates for hybrid vehicles. However, the Toyota-Tesla model was discontinued by 2014.
The “Hybrid” logo, however, suggests that this is obviously nothing like the second-gen RAV4 EV. It’s purely speculative for now as to which direction Toyota takes for its fourth-gen RAV4 Hybrid’s powertrain, but it’s no secret that the company does have a rather impressive arsenal of hybrid systems to choose from.
