Toyota RAV4 EV ads will focus on target DirecTV customers

Toyota is working with satellite-television provider DirecTV on hyper-targeting TV advertising for the automaker's RAV4 electric vehicle in an effort to more efficiently boost sales for the limited-volume model, Bloomberg News reports. DirecTV run RAV4 EV ads specifically in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, where the SUV is sold, and may further be able to hone in on potential buyers based on information from credit cards and other sources of subscriber data. The broadcaster will be able to target such ads at about 12 million customers. DirecTV controls about two minutes per hour of airtime on 46 cable channels, or about one-seventh of what networks control per hour.

Toyota has been looking to sell more RAV4 EVs, recently cutting monthly lease rates for those lucky enough to sign on during certain dates to $299 a month, or half the standard monthly rate of $599. The model can go as far as 100 miles on a single charge and has a drivetrain and battery designed by Model S maker Tesla Motors. The SUV retails for $49,800. Through August, Toyota sold just 748 RAV4 EVs. Check out Autoblog's Quick Spin of the RAV4 EV here.