Toyota unveils latest RAV4 with new software platform

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled its latest RAV4 compact SUV on Wednesday, announcing it as the first model to feature its new Arene software development platform.

“The RAV4 marks a start in our journey in building software-defined vehicles,” said Simon Humphries, Toyota’s chief branding officer.

The Arene platform supports the new multimedia system’s cockpit voice agent, center display, and advanced safety technologies in the redesigned RAV4.

First launched in 1994, the RAV4 remains one of Toyota’s best-selling models globally, with over one million units sold last year.

Toyota plans to launch the sixth-generation RAV4 in North America, Japan, and Europe within the current business year ending March 2026. The new model will include hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, with the plug-in version offering a battery-only range of approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles).

Sources familiar with the matter said Toyota is considering producing the new RAV4 in the United States rather than exporting it from Japan and Canada, as part of efforts to reduce exposure to U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles. Currently, the RAV4 is manufactured in Kentucky, Japan, and Canada.