Toyota, which earlier this year ceased local sales of the HiAce-based Granvia, says this niche is shifting toward upmarket, luxury offerings such as the Lexus LM, a roughly $200,000 model introduced in Australia last year.

The exit came down to a couple of factors. Demand for the previous-generation Granvia was very low, making a replacement commercially unviable. In addition, the spend required to update the vehicle to meet the new ADR 98/00 safety standards would have risen significantly—an investment the company judged uneconomical. Set against the sales reality, stepping back from a low-volume, compliance-heavy project looks like a pragmatic call.

According to Toyota Australia vice president Sean Hanley, the family people-mover market has changed significantly in recent years, with buyer interest moving toward the premium end. The Kia Carnival has become the segment leader, priced at about $70,000 and taking around 80 percent of the market, while other brands claim only a small share.

Even so, minivans and people-movers together account for just 1.2 percent of Australia’s new-car sales. In that context, Toyota’s departure is unlikely to affect the overall market structure in any meaningful way, and mainly highlights how the category now stretches from one dominant mainstream choice to a handful of luxury alternatives.