Toyota Motor Corp. says its coming 2012 RAV4 EV "will definitely be sold to the general public." The car maker said it made the announcement in response to a number of news stories that said the battery-powered compact SUV would be available only to fleet customers and car-sharing services.

The company said it wanted to "set the record straight" regarding RAV4, which is positioned to give stiff competition to vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and other electric models coming to market in the next year or two.

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