Toyota 4runner Sales Number by Year (Graph & Stats Included)
Toyota is the titan of Asia’s automobile industry. Founded in 1937 in Japan, it has grown into one of the biggest carmakers in the world.
Since then, it has worked to shed the image held a couple of decades ago that Japanese vehicles weren’t of the quality of their US and European counterparts.
They have done this so successfully that in the utility and outdoor space, they are seen by many as the gold standard of reliability. Indeed, we have a page dedicated to the best roof top tents for 4Runners given this prowess.
Toyota continues to make inroads into the US and other markets in the Americas. The 4Runner is currently sold in the Bahamas, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, the United States and Venezuela. It has earned a reputation for dependability and cheap maintenance costs. The sheer number of them on the roads now also means that parts are quick and easy to source.
Here’s a breakdown of everything you’ll find out about on this page:
- Toyota 4runner Sales Snapshot
- Brief History of Toyota 4runner
- Toyota 4Runner Sales Graph
- Toyota 4Runner Sales Table
- Who is Buying the 4runner?
- Where is the 4runner Assembled?
Toyota 4runner Sales Snapshot
Below we chart the Toyota 4Runner sales history by generation and location to get a sense of how this SUV has done and what the future might hold for 4Runner sales.
| Snapshot of Toyota 4Runner Sales Data | |
|---|---|
| Sales in 2023 | 109,951 |
| Sales in 2022 | 121,023 |
| Sales in 2021 | 144,696 |
| Toyota total revenue in 2023 | $308.27 billion |
| 4Runner 5 year depreciation rate | 19% - better than average |
Brief History of Toyota 4runner
The seeds for the modern Toyota 4Runner were planted in 1981 when Toyota started selling a truck conversion called the Trekker. This conversion was undertaken by Winnebago Industries under license from Toyota.
Sales of the Toyota 4Runner commenced in 1984. The 4Runner has undergone 4 facelifts in its 35-year history:
- 1984 – 1989 [First Generation]
- 1990 – 1995 [Second Generation]
- 1996 – 2002 [Third Generation]
- 2003 – 2009 [Fourth Generation]
- 2010 – Present [Fifth Generation]
The first generation 4Runner sold in the US under the 4Runner name but elsewhere in the world as the Hilux Surf. At this stage the two vehicles were very similar, and mechanically almost identical.
The second generation of 4Runner shed the image of a truck conversion and came with a fresh design specifically for their new purpose. Unlike the first generation, 4Runner sales of the second generation were mainly 4 doors.
The first two generations had not mastered the safety aspect of design. This was largely rectified in the third generation, which came with side impact beams. The third generation also marked the shift away from the Hilux platform to the larger 4Runner shape.
The fourth generation introduced a number of luxury features as standard and enhanced safety features. So much so that the US NHTSA rated Toyota 4Runner as “good” overall in 2003. This wasn’t enough to keep the competition at bay, and from 2005 sales began to fall.
This brings us to the current fifth generation of Toyota 4Runner sales. The new generation came out with a bang reversing the downward trend in 4Runner sales immediately.
The growth in Toyota 4runner sales really started to gain momentum in 2013/2014 when US monthly sales entereing the year were around 4000 and ended at 6000 units. From there sales continued an upward trend until 2018 where it plateaued at around the 10000 monthly sales.
Although the COVID pandemic and aftermath would have impacted sales, sales in 2019 were already showing signs of cooling off
Toyota 4Runner Sales by Year in USA (Graph)
Toyota 4Runner Sales by Year in USA (Table)
| Calendar year | USA Sales |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 6,498 |
| 1985 | 5,495 |
| 1986 | 5,564 |
| 1987 | 3,635 |
| 1988 | 20,880 |
| 1989 | 36,927 |
| 1990 | 48,295 |
| 1991 | 44,879 |
| 1992 | 39,917 |
| 1993 | 46,652 |
| 1994 | 74,109 |
| 1995 | 75,962 |
| 1996 | 99,597 |
| 1997 | 128,496 |
| 1998 | 118,484 |
| 1999 | 124,221 |
| 2000 | 111,797 |
| 2001 | 90,250 |
| 2002 | 77,026 |
| 2003 | 109,308 |
| 2004 | 114,212 |
| 2005 | 103,830 |
| 2006 | 103,086 |
| 2007 | 87,718 |
| 2008 | 47,878 |
| 2009 | 19,675 |
| 2010 | 46,531 |
| 2011 | 44,316 |
| 2012 | 48,755 |
| 2013 | 51,625 |
| 2014 | 76,906 |
| 2015 | 97,034 |
| 2016 | 111,970 |
| 2017 | 128,296 |
| 2018 | 139,694 |
| 2019 | 131,864 |
| 2020 | 129,052 |
| 2021 | 144,696 |
| 2022 | 121,023 |
| 2023 | 109,951 |
Who is buying the 4Runner?
US sales data suggests that the 4runner sells to a young, wealthy segment of the population. It’s size and versatility are appealing to young families. Buyers of the 4Runner are usually younger and wealthier than the average midsize SUV buyer.
The average age of a 4Runner buyer is 50 years and their average income is over $110,000. Data also suggests that the 4Runner is a status symbol for outdoors people, but not popular with the environmentally conscious.
The 4Runners saleability to the young wealthy segment is reinforced by some of the recent upgrades to generation 5 models, namely:
- Improvement in technology – Toyota have been slow to join this race but the 2022 has madeup some ground by including an 8 inch touch screen, LED fog lights, powered rear glass and JBL 15 speaker audio
- Offroad capability – Coil spring double wishbone front suspension with stabilizer at the frontand 4-link coils at the back make for smooth sailing. The 9.6 inch clearance is a big advantage too.
- Exclusive trims – The TRD Pro edition gives the 4Runner an aspirational edge and includes premium add-ons like a moon roof and enhanced suspension
Where is the Toyota 4Runner assembled?
There are no assembly plants in the US. Toyota 4Runners come from Japan, manufactured at Toyota’s plant in Tahara, Aichi, or at the Hino Motors Plant (a Toyota subsidiary) in Hamura. This might be unappealing to some 4Runner buyers, but it does mean that quality can be assured.