RAV4 was to be built in Russia !!

[Scottydog007]

I picked up my RAV4 today and the salesman told me I was lucky to get it as the order books closed a long time ago. I asked him why and he said basically the RAV4 is the top selling car in the US so the majority of car builds are going there, and very little going to Europe. And he said also as Russia was supposed to be building it but the plant being built was stopped in 2022 due to the Ukraine invasion.

I Googled this and indeed this is true.

[Catlover]

Russia do build Toyota cares but I understood sales were for the east Europe countries. Maybe policy changed.

[Flatcoat]

That salesman and to some extent Google is talking cobblers. Russia did build the RAV but only for Eastern European left hand drive markets and only non hybrid versions. The US has its own factories in Kentucky and Ontario (Canada). The order book issue is more to do with ‘chip’ supply problems restricting build. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota's St Petersburg plant (now closed) built the Rav4 from 2016 and Camry from 2007.

All UK Rav4s come from Japan.

[NASY]

I saw an article recently which was asking if people really cared where their cars were built. I may be in a minority but I care a great deal that if I want a Japanese car it is genuinely built in Japan. Alternatively if Land Rover could build cars in Japan that would be good or even the German marques built in Japan would be an improvement - basically cars built by the finest production engineers on the planet is a good thing. When it comes to other goods it's an entirely different story, kilts from Scotland oh and single malts, pizzas from Italy and oak framed houses from England. I guess most won't be bothered if the price is right hence the built in China just about everything.

[Flatcoat]

I will never buy a Chinese made car and even before Ukraine I would not have bought a Russian built RAV. 

[Scottydog007]

Years ago I worked for a major TV design company, and I was sent all over Asia, China, Singapore, Malaysia etc. They were making the plastic moulding for the world. This tv company was about to enter the US for the first time with TV’s. 
Now some TV’s can spark when switched on in the high capacity area, so this area needs to be fire resistant. This company chose to have a fire resistant ingredient added to the polymer. This polymer came from Bayer but you had to trust the Asians to by this material from Bayer. Some did not, and in the first month of entering America TV’s in showrooms went up in flames. I then designed a metal housing in the high voltage area. But alas the damage was done this TV company had to leave America. The Malaysian company that made the mouldings had made 1 million euros worth of mouldings which were to go to Europe. The Tv company fined them 1 million euros and never used them again. 
From what I saw the EU & US standards meant nothing to many of the Asian companies I was involved with. And testing procedures had to be incorporated back in Europe to check they met these standards.

[TonyHSD]

But in each Toyota Ni-Mh hybrid Battery there is a Nickel bought from Russia. Perhaps Toyota switch to li-on batteries more widely as a result of trading issues with Russia lately. 
I also don’t see anything wrong with Russian build Toyota cars or Turkish ones, or English ones for example. I am driving one of these and it’s good 👍

[Flatcoat]

I see a lot wrong with BUYING ANYTHING from Russia - some of us have principals before money. How do you know the nickel comes from Russia in Toyota’s batteries? 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Flatcoat said:

I see a lot wrong with BUYING ANYTHING from Russia - some of us have principals before money. How do you know the nickel comes from Russia in Toyota’s batteries? 

I read some articles about it before we were discussing similar topics. If you Google you may find interesting information. Russia is one of the largest producers of metals used in modern cars traction batteries and it’s closest to Japan where all Toyota hybrids batteries or batteries  cells are made. They might still use Russian metals , I don’t know as I am not interested  about political or business things on a large scale. I might be wrong, who knows. My car is built in uk and it’s the first hybrid built abroad, outside Japan but has its nickel Battery delivered from Japan. I am not gonna sell it and buy a mini made in Oxford with German parts made using Russian gas, you know it’s all connected. 
Here about my car https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/2010/06/uk-is-first-country-outside-japan-to-build-toyota-hybrid-engine/