Toyota to build electric RAV4 in Canada

Toyota and Tesla Motors, Inc. confirmed their jointly-developed RAV4 electric vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) in Woodstock, Ontario beginning in 2012.

Yet despite being built in Canada, Toyota has not revealed any retail plans for Canada saying it will be offered in the U.S. first.

“The RAV4 EV will be sold in the U.S. through Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS),” the company said in a release today.

“Details including pricing, volume and regional distribution will be determined and announced at a later time. A decision about sales in Canada has not yet been made. “


The automaker says building the vehicle at the Woodstock plant on the same line as the gasoline-powered RAV4 will “streamline and simplify” the production process and guarantee the highest level of quality control. 



TMMC Chairman, Ray Tanguay said this marks a new chapter for Toyota.

“Being involved with leading edge technology is a great opportunity to motivate and develop our people,” he said. “This is an excellent example of Toyota’s determination to collaborate with companies with innovative technology.”

As previously announced, Toyota will pay Tesla approximately $100 million to supply the electric powertrain, which includes the battery, motor, gear box and power electronics for the RAV4 EV.

Tesla will build the electric powertrains at its production facility in Palo Alto, California and then ship them to TMMC for final assembly into the vehicle.

The RAV4 EV is one of several advanced-technology new products coming for Toyota. In addition to expanding the Prius family with the upcoming Prius v and Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Toyota will introduce an electric version of the Scion iQ in