Update: Toyota Says RAV-4 EV Will Be Sold to the General Public

Toyota has just issued a statement disputing a recent report from Reuters by saying that the upcoming all-electric RAV-4 will be available for sale to the general public as well.

The Reuters story, which Carscoop also reported on, said that the RAV-4 EV would only be sold to fleet customers and car sharing programs, citing Geri Yoza, the National Business Planning Manager of Advanced Vehicle Marketing, as the source.

Here’s Toyota’s official statement:

“Recent reports have incorrectly stated that the 2012 RAV4 EV will only be marketed to fleet and car sharing programs. We’d like to set the record straight. The 2012 RAV4 EV will definitely be sold to the general public. We anticipate robust public interest in the RAV4 EV and are keen to inform consumers that their future vehicle options include a battery electric Toyota

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Toyota’s Upcoming RAV4 EV will NOT be Sold to the General Public

The pure electric version of the RAV4 will not be sold directly to the U.S. public when it arrives in the market in the first quarter if 2012 as originally planned, according to Geri Yoza, Toyota’s national business planning manager of advanced vehicle marketing.

Instead, the EV version of the Japanese company’s popular SUV will be leased only to fleet customers and car sharing programs.

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2012 Toyota RAV4 Facelift Unveiled Car pictures gallery

2012 Toyota RAV4 Facelift Unveiled Car pictures gallery

Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.

According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...