Toyota announced it will boost production of the Sienna minivan by 20 percent for the 2025 model-year, which should make many dealers very happy. We’ve heard from a number of buyers regarding long wait times for delivery times, some of whom have chosen to go elsewhere for their minivan needs.
Keep in mind that Kia has just added a hybrid version of its Carnival; Toyota is stepping up to make sure it holds on to its market share.
The 20-percent increase will bring production to some 85,000 vehicles, compared with 71,000 for the current year, a Toyota spokesman told Automotive News.
Not enough supply
Dave Christ, VP and GM of Toyota's North American division, said in August that demand for the Sienna remained strong, but was largely unmet due to ongoing production constraints.
2025 Toyota Sienna – What’s new?
For 2025, the model remains largely unchanged, but small adjustments are being made. New colour choices and rims will be on the menu, but that's about it aesthetically. Inside, however, a 12.3-inch touchscreen is standard on all models, and a small fridge and console-mounted vacuum cleaner make their debut. Recall that Honda introduced an integrated vacuum cleaner with its Odyssey a few years ago.
Also for the new year, the rear-seat reminder system is updated and made more effective, and it’s standard on all versions. It uses a millimeter-wave radar transmitter, concealed above the headliner, to detect the heartbeat and breathing of passengers who may have been inadvertently left in the vehicle.
The driver attention alert system will also be more proactive, with a series of increasingly intense notifications, from on-screen messages to horn blasts to calls on the owner's phone.
All this represents the Sienna’s first update since it was renewed in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.
Sales are up
From January to September 2024, U.S. sales of the model rose by 6.4 percent to 50,789 units. This comes even as the minivan segment dips, with sales down 6.5 percent over the same period, and 240,183 units sold.
The numbers give the Toyota Sienna a 21-percent share of the segment, up 2.5 percent on the same time in 2023. The Sienna is still outpaced by the Chrysler Pacifica at 39 percent and the Honda Odyssey at 25 percent.
In Canada, sales exploded in the first nine months of 2024, rising by 191 percent to 8,755 units. In Canada, minivans in general are gaining ground. In the first three quarters of 2024, sales rose by 17.5 percent to 23,973 units. The Toyota Sienna holds a 36.5 percent market share in the segment, an increase of almost 20 percent on the same period in 2023.
The Sienna sells twice as much here as the Chrysler Pacifica, which is in second place with sales of 4,211 units.