'Quite frustrating': B.C. man still waiting for EV ordered in 2020
Tom Hurtig and his wife Debbie have gotten used to practicing patience. In August 2020, he placed a deposit and put his name down for a Toyota RAV4 Prime Hybrid. As of today, there's no estimated time for its arrival.
“It’s been quite frustrating with Toyota to get an answer," Hurtig told CTV News.
The dealership, Open Road Toyota Richmond says the delay is due to extraordinarily high demand and low supply.
"We understand the wait can be frustrating to customers," said general manager Ryan Snel.
"There are currently more than 40 people ahead of Tom and Debbie who are also still waiting for this same car.”
CTV News reviewed text messages between Tom and a salesperson dating back to June 2021 that say otherwise.
"Hi Tom, just checked. Not so good news. Toyota Canada has cut allocation. Six people still ahead of you. Chances of getting one this year are slim," read the message.
Snel responded by telling CTV News that the salesperson was mistaken.
CTV News spoke to another dealership manager who says lengthy wait times, particularly for high-end EV's, continue to be the norm.
“We have clients that have already been waiting for a year or longer and some of those clients will still be waiting another three to six months or longer,” said Leon Cheliadin, general manager for Applewood Nissan.
He says he doesn't know when the supply chain issues will improve and that his inventory numbers indicate the lengthy wait times will continue for the foreseeable future.
“Challenges in metals, challenges in electronics, challenges in general distribution," said Cheliadin. "I think the containers coming overseas is a significantly lower number."
Dave Sandelands with the non-profit Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association says there are ways to cut the line.
“Because there is a wait and a shortage, dealers are marking cars up over the manufacturer's suggested retail price and people are having to pay higher prices if they want to circumvent that line because the odd person will cancel,” said Sandelands. "Rather than that car going to the next person in the lineup, the dealer may keep it, mark it up and then take whoever’s got the cash to give them that money or have a trade-in, and they go higher up on that list.”
Despite being offered a refund for his deposit, Hurtig says he has no plans on cancelling and is willing to wait it out.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.