12:39 23-11-2025

Toyota extends model lifecycle to nine years with OTA updates and demand-based pricing

Toyota is preparing the biggest overhaul of its product playbook in decades: flagship nameplates will now be renewed on a nine-year cadence. The company is moving away from the familiar five-year cycle, leaning on steady demand and stronger residual values. The rationale is straightforward: models like the RAV4, Prado, and Land Cruiser continue to sell without losing momentum, and waiting lists stretch for months, reporters at 32CARS.RU noted.

Pricing is shifting as well. Toyota will no longer push end-of-cycle markdowns; instead, wholesale prices will become flexible and tied solely to demand. The change is meant to ease shortages and shore up values on the used market, which matters all the more as manufacturing costs rise around the world. The move feels pragmatic and should temper price swings over a model’s life.

At the heart of the strategy is a pivot to software-defined vehicles. Toyota is betting on regular over-the-air updates that add features, refresh interfaces, and expand driver-assistance capabilities without major structural changes. This keeps a model relevant longer, reduces how often brand-new platforms are required, and makes ownership more predictable.

For buyers, the upshot is a lower risk of ending up with an ‘outdated’ car right after purchase and more stable pricing throughout the model’s life cycle. In a market of long queues and rising costs, that kind of predictability is hard to overvalue.