Toyota has put a stop on the sale of its tough Rouge and Rugged X HiLux variants, as the brand is hit hard by industry-spanning supply issues and part shortages.
The brand confirmed the high-spec HiLux Rogue (which costs from $70,200 before on-road costs) and Rugged X (which costs from $70,750), both of which undergo final assembly of their variant-specific parts locally in Victoria, will not be able to be ordered going forward.
A spokesperson explained to CarsGuide: “Due to current demand, Toyota Australia can confirm that future orders have been temporarily paused.”
The spokesperson said the order pause was indefinite for the time being, and no estimate could be given for a resumption of orders.
Waitlists for other HiLux variants are understood to be extensive, although the Toyota spokesperson explained “there is a high level of variability” when it comes to wait times for popular mainstream variants like the SR5, and that local dealerships may have a better picture of order windows.
Toyota’s Australian website notes “global demand currently exceeds supply” and that “delivery will take longer than usual”. Only local dealer stock of the Rogue and Rugged X are able to be browsed.
In the current environment, order books being closed for cars with indefinite delivery windows has become increasingly common. Hyundai, for example, removed the ability to order its Ioniq 5 shortly after it was opened due to overwhelming demand and no clear window on when the next shipment would be available.
Toyota customers are said to currently be waiting an average of twelve months for the overwhelmingly popular RAV4 hybrid and LandCruiser 70 series, eight months for for a LandCruiser 300 series and Camry Hybrid, or six months across other model lines.
Toyota said in March that it would in fact slash Japanese production by 150,000 units “to achieve a more reasonable pace of output”
“Under these circumstances and in light of a review of past developments, we have revised production plans to be more reasonable in line with recent realities. Specifically, we have positioned the three-month period from April to June as an ‘intentional pause,’ and we will create plans based on the personnel structures and facility capacities of suppliers.” The brand said in an international statement. It noted previous attempts to keep up with post-COVID recovery plans via on-the-fly adjustments were “unsustainable”.
Shortages at the Thai plant which builds the HiLux are said to be related primarily to parts shortages rather than the deliberate downscaling adjustments made at the company’s Japanese plants.
Keyword: What's the HiLux hold-up? Toyota puts a sales stop on popular 2022 Rogue and Rugged X variants as supply constraints hit hard