The big news this month should be the unexpected price of the New Toyota RAV4.The price is expected to be RM203,880 for the 2.0L version and RM223,880 for the 2.5L version. Although there may be a brief discount, it takes an avid fan of the car to pay a lot for it.
The Toyota RAV4 is intended to be Toyota's response to the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.
Typically, Toyota's RAV4 rivals are Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.But not in Malaysia. The current price of Toyota RAV4 in The Malaysian market is even at the same level as that of BMW X1 and Mercedes-benz GLA 200.
The Toyota RAV4 was the best-selling SUV in the world in 2019, with sales of 950,000 units, surpassing Honda CR-V and Volkswagen Tiguan. It is the predecessor of the family SUV type based on passenger cars, which has been trusted by SUV enthusiasts since 1994.
You might think UMW Toyota Motor's managers were negligent. Why launch a car that costs so much more than the target market? So let's look at why it's so expensive.
First of all, RAV4 is imported from Japan. Because the tax provision is still based on the previous engine capacity formula, the naturally aspirated RAV4 is also included. Therefore, in Malaysia, the price level of RAV4 is similar to that of BMW X1.
There's another piece of news you don't want to hear. If I tell you, other brands are going to raise their prices soon?
A Toyota Camry made in Thailand is RM 196,888. Then the price of the new Honda Accord, assembled locally, rose to RM 195,900. Even the older, lower-spec, locally made Volkswagen Passat was not much cheaper, RM 189,012. Just a few weeks ago, the new Honda BR-V was announced at RM 89,900 -- RM 96,900.It used to cost RM80989 - RM87,701.The price has gone up by nearly 10%.
The G20 Generation BMW 320i, Mazda CX-9 and Mercedes-Benz A-class also saw their prices rise to different degrees.
The reason for this is the sharp fall in the Malaysian ringgit against the dollar. In addition, the method of calculating the car tax means that the retail price of a car with a wholesale price of RM5,000 expands to RM20,000 due to the impact of the foreign exchange rate. Since sales tax is calculated after excise/import duty, it is simply levied on the basis of tax.
Each time a new vehicle is introduced, price negotiations are required based on current/expected foreign exchange rates. The recent rise in the ringgit has little scope and few manufacturers are willing to negotiate better prices for Malaysian importers because of the small size of the market. That is why the prices of new models have generally risen recently.
So don't laugh at the price of the Toyota RAV4.On the bright side, we also have high hopes for the Toyota RAV4.We tried the TNGA-K platform earlier in the Toyota Camry, and its balance was amazing. Comfortable and easy to handle. We are also looking forward to having a Toyota RAV4 similar to the TNGA-K. Honda CR-V is cheap, but poorly designed for ride comfort.
For more information about cars, see Wapcar.my.