Now there are three?

Landcruiser Prado looks set to be a candidate for the newly-updated 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel announced for Hilux and Fortuner.

UPGRADES similar to those confirmed for the mid-life updated Hilux and its Fortuner sibling will spread into the Prado four-wheel-drive.

Toyota New Zealand has yet to respond to a call asking about latest revisions, however information shared in the venerable Landcruiser’s core market, Australia, spills the beans.

The big change is that it achieves the same upgraded 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel in identical tune to that already announced for the Hilux and Fortuner – for Prado, that means 20kW more power and 50Nm extra torque.

There are also improvements to the equipment level, in respect to safety as well as comfort – and, yes, no surprise that it’s another Toyota to finally achieve Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. 

Prado’s latest refresh follows a mostly cosmetic update meted two years ago and comes as it enters an 11th year of production – that’s almost twice the normal life span for a passenger car but is par for the course for large off-road machines. The larger Land Cruiser 100-Series, whose update has already been revealed overseas and has a good chance of showing here before year-end, has been around for even longer.

TNZ has not shared its thoughts about the future sales prospects for Fortuner, however it is probable some re-evaluation will be required as it has been among models that have been pitched heavily into the rental scene, mainly for winter use, particularly in Queenstown. Same goes for Prado.

Vehicle registration stats show 542 of the 816 Fortuners plated-up in 2019 were for rental. With Covid-19 having destroyed international tourism, the hire scene penetration has unsurprisingly completely eroded this year and, with 154 units registered to date, buyer interest in general is also well down,.

Prado, meantime, claimed 1056 registrations in 2019, of which 586 were rentals, and since January 1 this year has so far found 173 registrations, of which three are noted as heading into rental use. 

The engine update is as touted for Fortuner and Hilux. Maximum outputs are now cited at 150kW and 500Nm in all three models when married to the automatic transmission that is standard to the wagon variants.

The Prado being the heaviest model with this engine will likely be the slowest off the mark to 100kmh, and potentially might be the thirstiest, though in that respect there is still improvement.

Toyota suggests the combined fuel consumption has been reduced and combined CO2 emissions are also down, this coming from adoption of a variable flow control power steering device and modifications to turbo design and cooling system.

A new water-cooled, heavy-duty ball-bearing turbocharger with a newly developed variable nozzle vane mechanism features, while cooling and efficiency have both been stepped up thanks to “optimised pistons and piston rings, changes to the cylinder block and head, higher fuel-injection flow rate and the adoption of high-performance materials for the exhaust manifold”. 

As before, drive is sent permanently to all-four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission with a low-range transfer case.

Maximum braked towing capacity also holds firm at 3000kg for Prado; with Fortuner this increases from 2800kg to 3100kg.

Both model lines gain changes within the cabin. With Prado, the touchscreen is upgraded to an 8-inch display and the instrument cluster and multi-information display have been revised with new information displays including front wheel turning angle.
 
The Fortuner range has two specification levels – the GXL, and the Limited. Both variants gain parking support alert, which includes two front and four rear parking sensors. 

With Prado rain sensing wipers have also been added across the range and features contained within the Toyota Safety Sense system upgraded.

The autonomous emergency braking system has been expanded to now detect cyclists in daylight and pedestrians at night (previously only in the day) while the lane departure warning system can now brake one side of the vehicle to help the driver remain in their desired lane.

Road-sign assist with speed sign recognition also joins the package with the new function able to reset the Prado’s cruise control setting.

Crumpy spirit ... and the pride of Aussie

Everything good arriving with the update of a Kiwi icon ute is due to Ocker influence. Apparently.

 "I'M sure if Hilux could talk, it would definitely have a strong Aussie accent." 

Yes, he really said that. ‘He’ being Toyota Australia's general manager of product planning and development.

Rod Ferguson claims a one-tonner whose Kiwiness is a core sales strength here is “more Australian than ever.”

The comment is based on the high degree of development work behind the model’s mid-life facelift having been undertaken across the Tasman.

Now just weeks from national introduction, the updated line – whose NZ pricing was announced today - is core to Toyota New Zealand putting any effort into renewing effort to regain ute market leadership.

It held that position with ease for more two decades until the pesky Ford Ranger turned up and nabbed the crown more than half a decade ago.

Hilux conceivably has a chance to get back on top, not this year but perhaps in 2021, which will be when Ford ends sale of the current Ranger and swaps to a new model that becomes a co-share with Volkswagen. Ford is leading that project, so the new Amarok will be a Ranger in engineering though probably not in look. 

Toyota NZ has worked hard to cement Hilux as a Kiwi icon; that effort beginning in earnest in the 1980s with advertising involving total Kiwi bloke, Barry Crump.

Back then, too, it used to host Japanese engineers keen to understand what New Zealanders wanted from their utes. Occasionally, pre-releasing testing was undertaken here.

However, what happened then – and hasn’t happened here for years – pales into insignificance in comparison with the rework job of the current Hilux that Japan headquarters has entrusted to Toyota Australia. 

Detail of that project has been revealed to an information pack that has circulated to media across the Tasman. 

Ferguson claims his design and engineering teams were entrusted with undertaking significant styling, development and evaluation work that finetunes the international specification.

In other short, that means the Hilux coming to us is all thanks to them.

Ferguson says Toyota Australia played a considerable role in styling the exterior of the Hilux range, as part of an international team, to the extent they had transformed the styling to align it more closely with the global Toyota ute and truck family.

Engineers from the brand’s Melbourne-based operation had focused on evaluating and helping to develop upgrades to power and torque, suspension and steering.

The combined effort from the Australian teams – who worked extensively with their Toyota counterparts in Japan and Thailand – has delivered the bolder looks while offering even stronger performance, enhanced ride comfort and a more precise steering feel.

"Being awarded this project was a real feather in the cap for our team - and a tribute to the level of design capability we have at Toyota Australia," Ferguson said.

"In addition, our vehicle evaluation team was instrumental in the global development of the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine and improvements to the way it rides and handles across a wide variety of conditions," he said.

"I'm sure if Hilux could talk, it would definitely have a strong Aussie accent."

Toyota Australia's product design manager Peter Elliott said the brief was to develop a simple and strong athletic pick-up truck, a vehicle that was tough and genuine.

"From the beginning, our sketches investigated bold and tough themes that centred on a larger, more vertical trapezoid grille enhanced by an upper bonnet moulding and lower bumper components that lock into the grille surround," Mr Elliott said.

"The headlamps have been moved outboard and they now connect with the distinctly chiselled bumper corners, linking the design. We progressed through clay models and CAD, evolving the idea to be cohesive with the rest of the vehicle, while maintaining maximum visual impact.

"The final design was milled as a full-size clay model and shipped to Japan, where it was well received as a bold step forward with a strong Toyota DNA."

Development and evaluation of the 2.8-litre engine - which now develops 150kW and up to 500Nm with a recalibrated six-speed electronic automatic transmission (and 420Nm with the six-speed manual) - suspension and steering in Australia was conducted in collaboration with teams from Japan and Thailand, as well as representatives from ‘other’ markets. Presumably that means someone from Toyota NZ got to ride along.

Toyota Australia's vehicle evaluation manager Ray Munday said Australian road conditions cover more than 80 percent of the different environments around the world, and local customers are some of the toughest Hilux users.

Munday said higher engine output, particularly with a wider and flatter torque curve, had resulted in significantly improved acceleration, overtaking and towing.

Toyota engineers claim to have improved performance and fuel economy simultaneously by adopting a larger, heavy-duty turbocharger with a ball-bearing cartridge for exceptionally crisp and strong throttle response, and a new common-rail injection system with a higher maximum fuel pressure of 250 MPa.

Fuel economy is also said to benefit from a new combustion chamber that reduces cooling losses and more efficient exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in the intake manifold. A water-cooled double-pipe pre-cooler results in optimum EGR gas temperature.

On SR and SR5, drivers can choose two modes: ECO which reduces throttle response in favour of fuel economy and reduces power consumption for heating and cooling; and POWER to provide sharper acceleration response for a more engaging drive on undulating and winding roads.

Munday said the six-speed automatic transmission had been recalibrated to allow earlier lockup for improved acceleration and cooling performance, especially while towing.

HE has also opened up about the suspension rework. The models introduce longer leaf springs to suppress road vibrations, wider spacing of the springs for stability while cornering under load, and revised attachment points to promote steering stability.

The 2020 facelift has resulted in retuning of spring rates, shock absorbers and suspension bushes as well as revised cabin mounts. These improvements are designed to deliver a more agile handling response and improving ride comfort, particularly when unladen on country roads and over speed humps.

"The ride comfort of the rear suspension has been noticeably improved when driving without a load. Importantly, the vehicle maintains the Hilux DNA of being able to carry heavy loads with excellent body control, both on sealed and dirt roads.

"We also confirmed that Hilux maintains its acknowledged off-road traction with the combination of high wheel articulation and traction control systems which have previously been tuned in the real-world customer conditions of Australia.

"In addition, we adopted a variable flow control power-steering pump to provide a more direct steering feel on narrow winding country roads and to reduce steering effort when parking."

Each part of the new package was tested in Australia to confirm that it met the performance targets in real-world customer conditions as well as on test benches and test tracks.

"Importantly, we were able to confirm the cooling performance was maintained in every test we could throw at it - including uphill highway towing with an ambient temperature well over 40 degrees.

"If a vehicle can survive the Australian customer and the Australian environment, it can survive anywhere," Munday said.

MotoringNZ has previously touched on the spread of driver assists incoming, but to remind it has the usual full range of electronic braking and traction-control technologies, emergency stop signal (hazard lights), reversing camera (pick-ups), seven airbags, and seatbelt reminders for all seats. On double-cab variants, the rear seats have two top tether anchors and two ISOFIX points.

Downhill Assist Control is standard on all 4x4 SR5 variants and 4x4 automatic SR double cabs (including cab-chassis). Toyota Safety Sense technologies in HiLux are: a pre-collision system that can also detect pedestrians (day and night) and cyclist (daytime); high-speed active cruise control, and lane-departure alert that offers steering assist (via the brakes) to prevent unintended wandering into another lane. Road-sign assist can now recognise speed advisory signs. New for SR5 double and extra-cab pick-ups are front and four rear sonars to support parking. When the system detects objects, it alerts the driver with a buzzer and a message in the multi information display.

By the way, Ranger fans who see this Aussie influence as something funny should stop smirking now. Their favourite truck underwent exactly the same process and will again, with Ford Melbourne having maintained its role as the Ford model’s primary development centre.

Toyota NZ proposes to launch with 18 Hilux variants, evenly split in rear and four-wheel-drive. The rear drive models start with a 2.7-litre Workmate single cab chassis with automatic at $28,990 and topping with a 2.8TD PreRunner SR5 Cruiser Double Cab automatic for $47,490. The four-wheel-drive range is totally wed to the 2.8-litre and starts with a single cab chassis at $44,990 and tops with a $58,990 SR5 Cruiser double cab auto.

TNZ boasts market-beating emissions counts

The market leader and its luxury offshoot are cleaning up among car brands when it comes to CO2 emissions.

RAV4 hybrid has been a huge success for TNZ

COMBINED average fleet emissions from Toyota and Lexus product sold here are already below the national standing and should fall even more in coming months. 

This contention comes from the brands in a spruik relating how its hybrid models are achieving increasing popularity, in part driven by enhanced fleet interest.

Toyota and Lexus say their combined carbon dioxide emissions profile year to date stands at an average of 167.5 grams per kilometre. The industry average across all manufacturers is sitting at 175.9g/km year to date, the makes claim.

 Toyota New Zealand says introduction this month of the new Yaris in its hybrid state will further reduce Toyota’s fleet emissions profile. The car is claimed to deliver fuel efficiency of 3.3 litres per 100km and emissions of just 76g/km in optimal test conditions.

The Palmerston North-based market leader says it is selling, on average, 15 hybrid models a day.

It also states that it has gone from selling 1337 hybrids in 2017 to 5159 in 2019 and is on track to increase further in 2020, with 3627 petrol-electric cars sold by the end of July.

Neeraj Lala, chief executive officer for Toyota and Lexus here, says parent Toyota Motor Compnay in Japan is on a mission to reduce greenhouse gases.

Neeraj Lala is pleased with his brands’ increasing petrol-electric presence.

“It’s satisfying to report that the high number of hybrids sold is helping Toyota achieve two objectives – reducing our overall emissions as a brand and helping us support the New Zealand Government’s target to reduce gross carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030.”

“CO2 reductions are a journey for Toyota and our customers,” he says. 

“This is why hybrids help us achieve reductions as we transition to alternatives when supply, infrastructure, and demand is ready.

“The customer transition has been more evident as the new generation of hybrid have the capability to outperform traditional petrol alternatives.” 

One particular hybrid hit has been the RAV4, with demand outstripping supply. Forty-nine percent of the 8313 examples sold since the model released in March 2019 have been with the hybrid drivetrain and interest has grown this year to the point where those types accounted for 81 percent of RAV sales in July. That translates to 2141 units.

TNZ cited an example of one customer, beverage supplier Frucor Suntory, being so convinced by hybrid technology it is transferring its entire Australasian fleet to the battery-electric RAVs.

The Griffin’s Food Company has also adopted a Toyota hybrid fleet for its vehicle eligible employees while Silver Fern Farms has a fleet of 39 Toyota RAV4 Hybrids. 

Lala says that while the extra technology required for a hybrid vehicle makes the car more expensive to build, but Toyota has intentionally kept the price differential between a petrol and hybrid versions of vehicles minimal.

“We deliberately keep the price difference down as we genuinely want people to access our fantastic hybrid options,” says Lala.

“We have seen through customer demand for hybrids that our pricing strategy has paid off.”

Yaris hybrid is expected to be influential for the remainder of the year.

Extra electric-involved product for TNZ

A plug-in version of the RAV4 and a fully electric car have been cited to join more mild hybrids heading into Toyota’s local showroom.

is one of these concepts shown last year destined to become toyota’s first electric car sold in new zealand?

FIVE more mild hybrids, a plug-in replenished battery-assisted model and a fully electric car are on Toyota’s national agenda, though sign-off for several – including the EV – has yet to be fully sorted. 

What’s being sought and when it might arrive, all going to plan, has been shared by Toyota New Zealand.

Aside from the Yaris Hybrid covered extensively this week, the roll-out starts with another hybrid CH-R, but in a sportier-looking format that leverages the GR (Gazoo Racing) pitch that TNZ continues to develop. It’ll be here before the end of the year.

Following, apparently in the first half of 2021, are two vital volume products. The heavily revised Camry and a new Highlander, are also primarily – if not wholly – running battery-fed petrol drivetrains next year. So, if you still prefer a petrol V6, act fast. That choice will not transfer to the new lines.

Also tied down for New Zealand introduction, but with time yet to be fully sorted, is a hybrid Hilux. Toyota New Zealand’s chief executive, Neeraj Lala, says he hopes to see it in the latter part of next year, but accepts release could yet spill into 2022.

So that’s five: What else is in the thought stream? Two potential big-hitters that draw off mains power.

There’s the RAV4 PHEV/Prime, which replenishes its plug-in petrol-electric drivetrain off the grid. After debuting in North America last year, it’s now being built in right-hand-drive in Japan, but only for sale there at this time.

the rav4 prime was introduced to North America last year but has now entered right hand drive production, but just for Japan. TNZ has pitched for it. The car’s drivetrain (below) delivers around 90kms’ pure electric operation. It’s also designed to give a performance edge.

In this variant the front motor and inverter achieve more powerful output than the RAV4 hybrid system, the maximum system output cited at 225kW, which Toyota says, facilitates a 0-100kmh time of six seconds and “sporty, powerful driving”. 

The make also claims a wholly electric driving range of 95 kilometres. That’s well above the cited range for Japan’s only logical competitor already sold here, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The EV range, and the car’s claimed total range of 1300km, is a calculation based on Japan domestic market processes.

Lala is keen to see it and says introduction as a domestic Japan model is a good thing.

“We’ve asked Toyota Motor Corporation if that car can be made available to New Zealand. We have not had confirmation yet but it is a car we would definitely like to have in our market. 

For 2021? He hopes so. One alternate option for TNZ is to introduce it as a brand-backed used import, via the Signature Class channel, but Lala’s preference would be to represent it as a brand-new product.

But that can take time. “Introducing a new car isn’t easy … there has to be a lot of testing and compliance to ensure it meets our conditions. But generally, if something has been available as Japanese domestic it has been pretty much a safe choice for NZ compliance so we’re hoping there won’t be too many hoops to jump through.”

And then the ultimate step …  a fully electric product. Which is what exactly; a completely new model or something based off an existing product?

No help here, from Lala. He’s sworn to absolute secrecy. “I cannot tell you anything about it.”

Highlander hybrid has already been confirmed for 2021 launch.So has Camry (below)

That doesn’t mean nothing is known. Toyota’s determination to branch away from being the global kingpin in hybrid drivetrains and start plugging into the zero emissions EV-sphere was announced 14 months ago, when it announced intention to create pure electrics not only for itself but also for other Japanese marques in which it has tech agreements.

Toyota then unveiled a new platform with enough flexibility to entertain what could be a very wide span of different kinds of vehicle – from small city cars to large sports utilities – using a "next step" solid state battery it also racing to get into production.

The starter project is an all-electric platform for midsize and large vehicles jointly developed with Subaru. Those brands are also working together to produce an electric crossover far more advanced than the mild hybrid Forester and XV recently launched here.

That vehicle, which will be sold separately under each brand, will debut in the early 2020s and, though the US is cited as a main target market, other countries where Subaru performs well (and that’s NZ) are expected to stand a chance.

Toyota is also working with Suzuki and Daihatsu to jointly develop a compact EV.

It revealed last year that its new platform would initially underpin six variations in all - a large SUV, a medium SUV, a medium crossover, a medium minivan, a medium sedan and the compact. Styling concepts of these proposals were presented at a forum on June 7.

TNZ’s intention to take an EV is an acknowledgement, after years of denial, that nothing less than a fully electric car with actual external recharging functionality has become a must-have in this market.

Even though it has long delivered battery-involved cars across the Toyota and Lexus line-ups that have a degree of regenerative capability, presently only one product in the showroom – Prius Prime PHEV – even counts as an EV.

That’s why Government departments and companies looking to include EVs in their fleets have had to bypass the Camry, Corolla, RAV4 and Prius mild (non mains-replenished) hybrids.

plug-in capability is a requirement to achieve electric vehicle status.

Toyota Motor Corporation has said its EV deployment plans will not slow down its hybrid imprint; hence why TNZ – which has 17 already, just two less than Lexus – is able and keen add more.

Yet Japan headquarters has also acknowledged a "sudden surge" of international EV popularisation – and the repercussion of increasingly stringent emissions requirements in China and Europe - has meant it has to reconsider its thinking, which until now has been that electrics are an unnecessary step between its petrol-electric hybrids and the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles it still sees as being the ultimate cars of the future.

Accordingly, it cites that of the 5.5 million battery-assisted vehicles it aims to build by 2025, almost one million might well be pure EVs.

TMC had intended to showcase unveil a solid-state battery for electrified vehicles ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were to have begun this week but instead have been delayed until 2021, assuming the world is by then on top of the coronavirus crisis that has caused so much disruption since March.

Solid state technology promises lighter, more powerful and safer batteries and could well be a breakthrough in popularising EVs.

Toyota is still forging ahead with a plan to start making EVs in China, purely for sale in that country. The first was expected to be a variant of the CH-R.

The new dedicated EV platform it has developed with partners is dubbed e-TNGA, a play on the company's new-generation Toyota New Global Architecture modular platform used by Corolla, Camry, RAV4 and the latest Yaris, also about to come on sale here, including in a mild hybrid form.

Toyota’s decision to also give Hilux a hybrid drivetrain was announced some months ago. Lala ‘s enthusiasm for this product is very high; he sees a big potential. Some others in the sector are looking to going all-electric – just this week the New Zealand importer for the LDV brand reckoned it will have a purely battery-compelled edition of the current T60 ute here next year. Production is set to kick off in the second quarter, with NZ market arrivals stated to start in the third quarter. Detail about the potential range, outputs and price ate still under wraps. LDV already has an electric van in the market with another on the way.

It’s far from clear whether a Hilux hybrid will be petrol-electric or diesel-electric. The latter would be a first for Toyota, which favours petrol-electric hybrid technology over diesel in its passenger car line-up.

Toyota out to cuff police contract

Commodore today, Camry tomorrow? Toyota NZ is investigating if it can join the thin blue line.

will the 2021 Toyota Camry report for duty as a Commodore replacement?

PROVISIONING police with a patrol car remains a Toyota New Zealand consideration, particularly in the wake of the collapse of rental car business.

The Palmerston North brand has acknowledged it is on the hunt to snare lucrative Government fleet opportunities including the biggest plum of all – delivering a replacement for the Holden Commodore police car, whose days on the beat are numbered with its production having ended and its maker soon to become extinct.

It is understood police are now trialling potential replacement cars for frontline duty and that they have renewed interest in the Camry sedan, thought to have been the runner-up to ZB Commodore when the tender was last contested, four years ago.

One example configured by the brand for front-line duty as part of the trial still appears to be operational in the Wellington area.

The Camry as tested by the thin blue line previously was a potent six-cylinder but perhaps the determination to use only four-cylinder ZBs is a sign police tastes have changed. TNZ’s certainly have. The distributor signalled some months ago that the V6 won’t feature in an update Camry arriving early next year.

However, it believes its 2.5-litre full petrol four-cylinder engine – which TNZ now suggests might yet provision in the update range, should perceived demand warrant it -and the hybrid would be just as good.

Do police agree? A reluctance to employ anything other than fully fossil-fuelled cars in the line of duty was expressed in the wake of last December’s announcement about Commodore production ending, when a spokesperson said that while they wanted to use as many hybrid and even fully electric cars as they could, it would only be in non-patrol roles.

TNZ chief executive Neeraj Lala isn’t sure that attitude still applies.

“My understanding of that is a little bit different. They have specifications, like a 0-100kmh specification, that they would need for a pursuit car, but currently we have a hybrid that would meet that. 

“The 2.5 also meets the standards they expect of pursuit cars.” Lala acknowledged the wholly petrol engine was initially not expected to be provisioned in the 2021 Camry update but could yet show if there was enough support for it, if just to meet all-of-Government contract requirements. “When we talked about being hybrid-only for Camry from next year it was before we knew about the Holden situation.”

In any event, it wasn’t just about get up and go. There was a host of criteria to meet, including technical standards to ensure nothing in the applicant vehicle conflicted with police equipment, especially the frequencies electronic law enforcement hardware operated at.

“As infotainment gets more complicated, as powertrains become more complicated with sensors, radars, safety equipment, hybrid and EV batteries … testing and compliance tends to become more structured and rigid. And there have been issues in the past,” he said.

TNZ chief executive Neeraj Lala

He believes one area Toyota has a lead on is with backup; the national sales network was fully up to pace on  keeping any fleet operational with excellent parts, service and support. 

Police are also building up their fleet of unmarked cars and Toyota has recently provisioned some Highlander SUVs, also currently V6 and set to revert to a hybrid-only format with a new 2021 model. It also provision Land Cruisers for specialist work and some hybrid cars for community constable work.

Lala explained that was not a signal of any favouritism in respect to the patrol car pitch.

“It’s been made clear that it’s certainly not a confirmation that Toyota has won the tender but we certainly have some cars in their fleet and we are working hard to see if Camry can be an alternative.

“I’ve been quite firm that I think the relationship needs to be mutual for us to engage. It’s certainly not something that we are chasing hard, but it certainly something that we would appreciate if it came towards our brand.”

Holden’s contract with police goes back many years – it started with the Kingswood in 1968, but really cemented with Commodore, with VT, VX, VZ, VE and VF lines siting as generic road vehicles of choice, outlasting the Ford Falcon and Nissan Maxima.

Terms of the association are never discussed but the fleet size alone suggest it will be lucrative.

Certainly, it was so highly prized by Holden that police were allowed to trial the ZB in Australia in secrecy more than a year before it became production ready. The current contract was also signed off well ahead of the car’s public release here, in May of 2018.

The car proved controversial – with complaint about the lack of headroom in the rear of the sedan causing a shift to the station wagon edition – yet announcement of Commodore’s demise was a shock to police.

It clearly still held hope of seeing through the latest contract with Holden, which conceivably ran to around 2023, according to past brand acknowledgements, by taking other products in the brand’s portfolio, including the Acadia and Equinox SUVs and Colorado ute. However, that’s now no longer a goer with GM having killed Holden completely, with the retail arm set to cease very soon.

Holden had formed a really strong marriage that in any other circumstance would have been hard to break up, TNZ’s boss suggests.

“We’ve been pitching to police for as long as I’ve been with the company; we’ve put our best foot forward and been unsuccessful because they have had a really good relationship with Holden and they clearly felt no need to move.

“For us in the past it has been about good due diligence – just making sure they were testing other products in the market for when, and if, a change was needed.

“Obviously all this has moved up a gear given Holden’s departure.”

Discussion about this arose from TNZ revealing how hard it has been hit by the virtual wholesale collapse of the rental car sector as result of the coronavirus lockdown kyboshing international tourism.

A sector that took 9619 new Toyotas and accounted for 31 percent of the Palmerston North-domiciled make’s sales last year has this year taken 172 cars for a two percent slice of sales to date.

TNZ’s response has been to divert energy into building up sales to the private sector and to fleet operators, primarily the Government, with positive result. It says it has just won a tender to provision a significant count of vehicles, mainly hybrids, to the Ministries of Justice and Education.

It’s also pumping up private sales, with particular success with the RAV4 hybrid. Fleet sales, either facilitated directly through TNZ or via its dealer network, including those to Government have collectively grown from delivering 41 percent of registrations to 63 percent.

Of course, while the percentages are up, actual sales counts are down. For instance, while private sales now represent a 35 percent share of current trading – so almost double the 2019 imprint – the counts are much lower; 235 units to date in 2020 against 6001 for all of 2019. As of end of June, fleet and Government have accounted for roughly a quarter of the just over 16,000 Toyotas they secured for all of last year.

the zb commodore has transferred police drivetrain allegiances from six-cylinder and rear-drive to four-cylinder and front-drive. However, police have yet to put a hybrid into the front line.

How will the rest of the year pan out? Notwithstanding that last month was huge for new car sellers and the Japanese giant had the top-selling car (RAV4), retained comfortably as the passenger sector leader and enjoyed the biggest monthly retail count (1755 units) since the launch of the new Drive Happy business model in April of 2018, its long-term forecast is cautious.

The entire market is down almost 25 percent year-on-year and industry perception that today’s rush is being fuelled by a short-range fuel – people are spending money on cars that they had set aside for overseas travel that cannot be taken – seems to be accepted by the leader, which believes a rocky road is ahead.

Even though TNZ has identified that the loss of the rental car market and a subsequent significant de-fleeting of stock by some operators had synched with a considerable market shift in used car tastes, away from ex-overseas used (which are in short supply) to low-mileage, late model NZ-new, Lala says it’s fair to say this is “experiencing changes like we’ve never seen before.”

An industry that had recorded a decade of quite considerable growth, reaching peak of just over 161,000 units in 2018 before softening slightly last year, was now facing a further 35 percent decline.

Or worse? Lala is confident Toyota is on target in predicting 100,000 registrations this year, even though others have suggested lower returns.

“Some of our competitors are suggesting a reduction more dramatic than 100,000 but I personally cannot see that happening … even if the wheels completely fall off in the fourth quarter, I can’t see the market fall below 95,000, maybe 90,000 as an absolute worst case scenario.”

When and if the rental car market would re-open was a question without any quick resolution, he suggested, and obviously TNZ, as the dominant supplier, was hard hit.

“When you remove 30 percent of our sales overnight … well, it’s never easy losing that volume.

“The pain of that tourism loss in the lockdown has certainly transferred throughout our entire business. It’s probably safe to say that this volume will not return … while the borders remain closed.”

As for the long-term forecast for car distributors? “We are, I think, heading toward a tough time – whether that’s late in the fourth quarter or early first quarter (of 2021) we have to wait and see - but at this stage we will go as hard and as strong as we can.”

Toyota Yaris: Tapping into heightened buyer awareness

The fourth generation of Toyota’s baby hatch has finally arrived – here’s what we can tell you without having yet had chance to drive it (you’ll find out why in the story).

MIGHT an incoming high-set crossover version of the new Yaris so overshadow the orthodox models arriving now as to endanger their ongoing showroom presence?

The possibility of this has been acknowledged by the brand’s national boss.

“I believe over the next 12 to 18 months that Yaris Cross will be the Yaris hatch replacement,” says Toyota New Zealand’s newly-installed chief executive, Neeraj Lala, in speaking to changing trends in the light car category. 

“Given the trends in the market and given that this car (the Cross) has such high appeal to a slightly older demographic, I think the Yaris Cross will be the dominant small car for us. 

the yaris cross is about six weeks from release.

“What that means for Yaris hatchback moving forward we will wait and see.”

Though it has never been able to emulate the volumes achieved by Toyota’s most popular car, the Corolla, Yaris has traded as a solid performer across three preceding generations, though registrations have diminished in the past two years, from 2002 in 2018 to 1802 last year.

The light car sector still achieves around 10,000 to 11,000 units per year for an 11 percent share of new car sales, according to Toyota NZ. Yet the market leader’s optimism about where is going seems greater than general industry sentiment. Many brands have struggled and core historic rival, Ford, has become so disillusioned as to pull mainstream editions of the Fiesta and instead pin all hope on a performance ST.

TNZ’s ongoing positivity seems driven in large part because it is strengthening its private buyer business and now has a hybrid drivetrain.

Yet it is also acknowledging change in consumer taste. Hence why the Yaris Cross is just weeks away from introduction.

TNZ has yet to fully unwrap its plans for this derivative, but as a spin-off design off the same engineering and design base as the pathfinder hatchbacks it could well also fully replicate the hatchback line which comprises four 1.5-litre petrols, all driving through CVTs, two with a hybrid drivetrain, and in GX and ZR specification grades. 

Being taller and with greater ground clearance than the donor – though only for show (no additional off-seal competence is claimed) – the Cross will potentially have a premium over the hatches, which range from $25,990 to $32,990, unless a special paint finish is chosen. That adds $500. 

A crossover is just one new direction for Yaris – it is also set to configure here as a fully hot hatch by year-end.

Inspiration for the wild 192kW/360Nm four-wheel-drive turbocharged GR (for Gazoo Racing) car comes from Toyota’s entry in the wavering World Rally Championship and is also fired by the brand’s determination to rev up its showroom image.

The GR will be the basis for a replacement for the Yaris that currently competes in WRC and would assuredly have been seen in action here in September had not our round been skittled by coronavirus.

Interestingly, the brand has already started the GR push in Japan with a curious concoct called the RS. This delivers the same imposing wide-hipped body, bespoke aero package, twin exhaust outlets and ultra-wide stance of the full-fat GR but runs the mainstream petrol engine. There’s no talk of it coming here.

TNZ has already taken 20 firm orders for the GR and says this interest has been enough to persuade Japan to provision more than the five units it originally earmarked for NZ for this year.

TNZ’s enthusiasm for the additional family members notwithstanding, it also sees interest in the Yaris as it presents just now being re-energised.

The model going to a fresh platform promising better driving feel, a lift in safety equipment and the hybrid’s efficiency have been cited as factors expected to raise the car’s game and status.

The latter might seem of especial interest, though the tech has taken its sweet time getting here. While this is the first hybrid Yaris available new here, it’s actually the third Toyota has created: The predecessors were based on the gen three car that NZ took from 2011; the first went into production in 2012 then was radically re-engineered four years on. However, it was only ever available in certain markets, none at this end of the world.

This latest one looks a lot more convincing than the predecessors, even though the pure electric operability is as limited as on any other Toyota hybrid – basically, the battery-only impetus avails at start-up, in reverse and at very low speed, for very limited duration, moving forward. In keeping with the Toyota/Lexus hybrid culture, it of course also lacks capability for plug-in replenishment, a feature required to establish connection as an electric car. 

Yaris misses out on claiming as the country’s cheapest battery-assisted new passenger product - that title being recently snared by the Suzuki Swift hybrid.

Yet it certainly stakes a strong claim for market-leading efficiency (76 grams per 100km) and economy, siting as the most fuel efficient car in New Zealand without the ability to run on batteries alone, with the lithium ion battery-fed 85kW drivetrain eking an official combined consumption of 3.3 litres per 100km. 

That figure gives it a narrow lead over other established sippers, nonetheless. For instance, it’s just a 0.1L/100km advantage over the claimed optimal from a full-sized Prius and a 0.6L/100km advantage over a car that would set to now be bumped from the market, as it’s been around for eight years.

That’s the Prius C, which also sits in a lower tech level by having nickel hydride batteries. The closest rival outside Toyota is the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, which delivers 3.4L/100km. As always, all this becomes somewhat theoretical in real-world conditions anyway. 

Still, Lala reckons those factors will be acknowledged by the Green-minded, saying: “With the … hybrid, you know you will be reducing your carbon footprint.”

The 1.5-litre engine also does its bit, through applying the Atkinson-cycle principles that have featured in previous fuel-eking Toyota petrol engines, but in a three-cylinder format. Toyota claims the 1.5 has a rated thermal efficiency of 40 percent, which it says is greater than comparable diesel engines. Emissions are higher that the hybrid, at 114g/km, yet the standard engine is more efficient than the outgoing car’s by some margin. 

So how does it go? Erm ….

Opportunity to independently assess the model’s mettle and verify Lala’s claim of this being “the most premium small car Toyota has built” that “lends a driving experience unrivalled in the segment” and is built to be fun has been left unfulfilled.

 TNZ broke with the convention of a media gathering at a central location with cars on hand to drive, instead favouring a remote internet conference, with 90 minutes of presentations beaming out from TNZ HQ, which last week announced as the first site in Palmerston North to achieve 5G.

 A fallout from Covid-19 concerns? Certainly, several past such national events conducted by other brands have been – but only during lockdown. Now, of course, we are free of restrictions on travel and mingling.

 However, TNZ reckoned it didn’t see potential from a traditional media gathering, on grounds that it couldn’t corral enough cars for a drive programme. (Yes, just to remind, this IS the brand that dominates the market we’re talking about; primarily being serviced by factories in Japan, whose production was largely unscathed by coronavirus). It has promised to stage an orthodox event for the Yaris Cross and GR in October.

 As previously reported, this Yaris runs two kinds of CVT – the pure petrol’s coming, in ZR form, with paddle controls and an astounding, potentially bewildering 10-speeds – and also breaks ground by achieving the latest Toyota Safety Sense package as standard.

 Even the entry-level car gets dynamic radar cruise control and lane-tracing assist. In a Toyota first, front seat centre aisle airbags have been added to reduce the risk of the driver and front passenger colliding during a side-on collision.

 The pre-collision system has also been updated to use a camera, radar and autonomous emergency braking to avoid or mitigate the effects of a crash and it is the first Toyota to gain two collision avoidance systems, delivering automatic braking and steering intervention, previously restricted to some Lexus product.

 Aside from detecting vehicles and pedestrians both day and night, and cyclists during the day, the full system is also claimed to detect and automatically brake to avoid other vehicles and pedestrians when turning at intersections. The on-board camera can also recognise speed signs and alert drivers if they’re going above the posted limits and also facilitates a lane-keep function.

 The ZR variants also feature blind spot monitor plus front and rear parking sensors that can trigger the brakes to avoid contact.

 It is the next Toyota to adopt full smartphone integration including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Functionality is via a large, high resolution touchscreen that stands out as one of the high-quality features now in a cabin in which, Toyota says, trims are now more premium.

 The GX has a black interior, while the ZR has a contrasting grey and black interior with red accents, both with cloth trims. The ZR has sports style seats, climate control air conditioning, smart entry with push button start, digital speedometer and a heads-up display.

 TNZ is promoting this fourth-generation Yaris as being more spacious than predecessors. The front seats have been moved outwards by 10mm to create more space between the driver and front passenger, while the seats are lower in the vehicle also. More storage space has been added in the front console, under the audio unit and in front of the front passenger.

The Yaris and Yaris Cross have the same 2560mm wheelbase, but the hatch is 240mm shorter overall, the crossover adding 60mm to the front overhang and 180mm to the rear, to ensure more interior space. The ground clearance is 60mm higher with the Cross and, with 1550mm height, the hatch is 90mm lower and 20mm narrower overall.

The maker is also asking consumers to take note of the car’s “new energetic and sporty look”. The GX features new 15-inch steel wheels with cover, while the ZR has two-tone machine- finished 16-inch alloys. 

Keeping with that theme, the ZR is available in two two-tone options – an ebony roof coupled with either eclectic blue or coral exterior paint options.

The combined effect of the improvements does hit the bottom line, of course. Take note that the outgoing line priced between $23,290 and $27,490 when it launched back in 2012. However, Lala says the impetus has not been to sell Yaris as the cheapest car but as the best; TNZ research also suggests buyers are increasingly looking for more premium features in the choices, and don’t mind paying a little extra for it.

Land Cruiser update - change of face for change of pace

Is this the new look for Toyota’s off-road giant, the so-called 300-Series expected to be here soon?

IMAGES fully revealing the styling alterations arriving with the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser support conjecture that the mechanical change coming with the ‘300 Series’ treatment will be more headline-making.

These photos have been unearthed by a specialist Australian off-roading web publication, Unsealed 4x4, and purport to show the updated vehicle awaiting shipment from a port in Japan.

Handily, the vehicle is parked alongside an example of the current 200-Series, which makes identifying the external design changes – to the front, at least - all the easier. If they’re not immediately apparent, the new car has a new grille, updated headlights and new front bumper that’s significantly deeper than the current model. It also scores new alloy wheels.

Exactly when Kiwis will be able to see the refresh in the metal for themselves is not clear. Toyota New Zealand has several product launches to enact this year, but anything for Land Cruiser has not been specifically mentioned. So far, the talk has been all about Yaris and updated Hilux.

However, it’s an open secret that significant change is coming for the long-running wagon and that the big development will be the introduction of a twin turbo V6 petrol mild hybrid powertrain. Whether this unit will sit alongside, or completely replace, the current 4.5 litre V8 turbodiesel is still subject to much discussion. Toyota is remaining quiet.

The model that media imagine will be called ‘300 Series’ has been a long-time coming. It’s strongly claimed Toyota had 300-Series prototypes in Australia being tested as long ago as 2015. The 200 has been around for an astoundingly long period: 2020 is its 13th year of production. The preceding ‘passenger’ Land Cruiser models were in build for eight (80 Series) and nine (100 Series) years respectively.

Why drop the V8? Mainly, it seems, because of a wider brand policy. For sure, the current engine struggles to meet economy and the latest emissions standards enforced in some big passenger markets – but whether that really matters to land Cruiser is moot. The biggest markets for this model are the Middle East, where fuel is cheap and no one gives a jot about exhaust counts, and Australia; another country where the car is comfortably accepted in its current form. To be fair, NZ also doesn’t have any regulations that the vehicle would trip over.

However, Toyota Japan has itself committed to offering a fully electric or electric hybrid version of every model in its range by 2025, so conceivably that in itself is enough to do it for Land Cruiser. Also, the developments it gets are likely to be applied to vehicles like the Prado, the Fortuner and the Hiluix. Indeed, a hybrid Hilux has been mentioned repeatedly as a future product. 

While its specs have remained closely guarded secret, the ‘300’s’ engine is expected to be based on a large-capacity six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, potentially a version of the 3.6-litre used by Lexus product, augmented with an electric motor and a battery pack. Outputs estimated in the region of 260kW and 490Nm. When news if this drivetrain first broke – via a Japanese car publication, ‘Best Car’ – it was suggested the engine would drive through a constantly variable transmission.

The Lexus version of this powertrain is not turbocharged and goes into the LS large sedan and LC flagship coupe. In those vehicles it produces 220kW at 6600rpm and 348Nm at 4900rpm, and the electric hybrid system produces 132kW and 300Nm, for a combined power output of 264kW (with an estimated combined torque of 500Nm). In the LS, it makes 310kW and 600Nm, a torque output that is closer to that from the current 200-Series engine, which packs a claimed 650Nm at 1600-2800rpm and 200kW at 3600rpm.

The powertrain demands a stepped CVT in place of the current edition’s six-speed traditional automatic, to improve fuel consumption to around 9.4 litres per 100km and reduce emissions.

Toyota is the pioneer of hybrids, having launched the first mass-produced production hybrid car, the Prius, back in 1997, and its hybrid integration and much higher now.

The LC200’s stocks have fallen in recent years as the market migrates away from full-sized, old-school ladder frame genuinely tough all-terrain models and toward softer, more street-wise sports utilities.

Even so, there has been enough of a core following to sustain a four variant local lineup, starting with a $115,900 VX and topping with a $129,990 VX Limited, and convincing the traditional buyer set that this is a better alternate to the current offering could be a challenge.

Land Cruiser 200-Series maintains especially high residuals on strength of its toughness and as a good choice for towing super-sized caravans and boats; the fan base will be eager to know if that talent remains intact. It also has a very comprehensive off-roading technology pack. It’s hard to imagine this being eroded though surely having a CVT in the package will raise some interesting challenges.

There has been talk about the vehicle going to a new platform; the vehicle in the images apparently having the same dimension (and, aside from the nose, body shape) as the 200-Series suggests that is not the case. But, for the record, overseas’ chat has been about it taking a body-on-frame version of the TNGA (for Toyota New Global Architecture) underpinning, known as TNGA-CV.

The interior is said to be in for a huge revamp, with leather, comfort and luxury levels that were previously the preserve of a Lexus.

Best Car said it has a larger, up-to-date 8.0-inch infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and additions to Toyota Safety Sense, which will come with a full suite of driving assists such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, day and night-time pedestrian detection and more.

Camry updates acknowledged

Toyota is putting a more efficient battery into its Camry and bringing a facelifted model.

 ADVANCE notice of changes coming to the Camry has been given.

A fresh front end styling sits ahead of some key technology improvements that mean an upgrade to the already comprehensive Toyota Safety Sense suite of assists.

What the maker is calling Safety Sense 2.5 includes upgrades to systems such as the pedestrian-detection and adaptive cruise control functions.

The car also takes a new dash design, the big change there being a different touchscreen infotainment set up – it also now a tablet-style arrangement, meaning it sticks out of the dash. 

Before we see this, the hybrid drivetrain that has become core to the car’s appeal will be given a refresh.

Retirement of the current 245V nickel metal hydride battery for the 2.5-litre petrol electric drivetrain for a more efficient 259V lithium-ion battery is set to happen very soon, well before the new look arrives.

Which is when, exactly? Well, don’t be in a rush to grill your dealer – as said, though released now, this news about the mid-life restyling process is very much ahead of delivery time. The changes will not chime in until early next year, in fact.

However, with first Toyota in America and then the brand’s Australia outpost having notified the update, Toyota New Zealand has been compelled to speak, with chief executive Neeraj Lala offering the following in respect to the updates and the brand’s thinking about the ongoing status of a car that has been pointed more toward private sector and weaned off fleet and taxi stand favouritism.

“While the sedan/passenger car customer interest does continue to decline, we have seen a significant increase in Camry sales since the launch of the new generation model in 2018,” he offered.

“Our market penetration for private Camry sales is sitting at 30 percent year to date. We are increasingly seeing customers move towards hybrid powertrains across all our models and Camry is no different with 85 percent of our sales year to date.

“We have had great customer feedback on how it is a great car to drive, and people quite literally can’t believe it is a Camry they are driving!”

Corolla Cross out in 2022 and signed for NZ

An elevated Corolla has been announced and Toyota New Zealand has signed up.

A PERENNIAL strong seller for Toyota is set for a rise in stature.

 The Corolla has become the next candidate passenger car for conversion into something it’s never previously been, a crossover.

Announcement of the – you guessed it – Corolla Cross came from today’s global unveiling in Thailand, where it is being built and will be sold first.

Availability in other right-hand-drive markets will commence in 2022. Toyota New Zealand has confirmed itself as a starter.  

“We have secured this product for our line-up and are excited to launch it in due course,” said chief executive Neeraj Lala.

“This addition will continue to add breadth to our overall range, with more SUV options for our customers. We will release more information closer to the time of launch.” 

Toyota head office says Corolla Cross benefits from its experience as a pioneer in recreational SUVs, which triggered 25 years ago with the original RAV4 - a vehicle that is now the world's best-selling SUV.

The brand sees this model as delivering a design philosophy of "Corolla meets SUV", blending the best aspects of both worlds. “It balances a dynamic, powerful, sleek and sophisticated design with high levels of SUV practicality,” according to the press information.

Corolla Cross is on the same GA-C platform as the Corolla hatch and sedan, ensuring a high level of body rigidity and a well-balanced chassis for responsive and agile driving, a comfortable ride and outstanding quietness, Toyota believes.

Other features include a spacious cabin, easy entry into and exit from the car and excellent luggage space, as well as a high level of safety equipment inherited from Corolla hatch and sedan.

The brand says Corolla Cross will place between Yaris Cross, releasing in NZ later this year, and RAV4 and be available with either a petrol engine or a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, but has yet to be more specific.

‘Toyota was always the only company I wanted to work for’

His family came to New Zealand for a new life – as incoming CEO of Toyota New Zealand, Neeraj Lala has a similar mission.

FROM JULY 1 Toyota New Zealand has a new chief executive –  Neeraj Lala, promoted from the position of chief operating officer, is just the fifth local at the helm in 50 years.

The only son of parents who emigrated from India to a new life in Wellington, Lala came to the country’s largest new passenger vehicle distributor in 1998, virtually directly from the capital’s Victoria University, where he’d gained a Bachelor of Commerce, taking up a role in the IT department.

Working for the brand, then based in Johnsonville and so an easy commute from the family home, was a dream come true for this lifelong car nut inspired, he acknowledges, by the ‘Welcome to Our World’ ad campaign, he imagined he might be there for a few years and then head overseas. 

It didn’t work out that way. Over the years, he has worked in most areas of the Toyota business including Marketing, New Vehicles, Product Planning, IT and Used Vehicles. In 2014, he completed an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), finishing top in his class with Distinction from Massey University.
 
Since returning in 2018 from a three-year Executive Leadership programme with Toyota Motor Sales in the United States, Neeraj has been instrumental in driving transformational change at Toyota. The 45-year-old and his wife, Sandy, have also raised two daughters – now teenagers - and a younger son.

We sat down with the new boss to talk about his life and career path, his thoughts about where the car business is heading … and a little about his cars and his family.

MotoringNZ: What does it personally mean to have achieved the role of chief executive officer of the country’s largest new motor vehicle distributor?

Neeraj Lala: “As something I have worked long and hard for, for a long time, it means a huge amount to me. And to my family. We’ve all made quite big sacrifices. 

“It’s quite a humbling privilege to be given an opportunity to continue a really strong legacy built up by (retiring CEO) Alistair Davis, and Bob Field before him.”

Care to guess what this kid grew up to do?

MotoringNZ: You arrived at Toyota New Zealand in 1998 pretty much fresh from university and went straight into what was then a relatively fledgling IT department – back when this thing called the internet was still something of a foreign territory for even big brands. Did you see TNZ as the life-long home it’s become or was this supposed to be a transition toward a different kind of career? 

Lala: “I’ve always been a car nut and when I was a university student I wanted to work for Toyota, having been seduced by the ‘Welcome to Our World’ campaign. Toyota was always the only company I wanted to work for.

“I never applied for a job with any other company. I worked for the Radio Network for seven or eight months, but it was just a transition job while I was waiting for Toyota to reply to my application.

 “When I got the job I wasn’t aware the company was transitioning from Wellington.

“It was a bit of a shock when my wife and I moved to Palmerston North … we didn’t see Palmerston North as a long-term residence. We initially had the view we might stay here for maybe two years and join our friends, in the United Kingdom or in Australia. 

“But two years turned into four, into six, into 10 ….”

MotoringNZ: You’re from a humble family background; hardworking parents, brought up in a close-knit, proud community. Life lessons tend to influence; what values instilled from your early life that remain important to you? Also, does your rise give you thought to ponder about diversity in the workplace?

Lala: “Mum and dad, who still live in Wellington, came to New Zealand from India when they were teenagers. They migrated for a lot of reasons, including of course to give their kids a better life.

“My three older sisters – who now live in Auckland - and I were all born in Wellington.

“We were also of course quite heavily involved in the Indian community; it was really important to my parents and all of us. It’s a really tight-knit community and they have exceptionally high standards and work to keep the culture alive, though with every new generation there are always little changes.

“My dad wanted his kids to have their own businesses. He told me before I started at Toyota ‘a Japanese car company will never take an Indian seriously.’ And that was because his generation was exposed to a lot of racism. 

“That of course is a very traditional mindset but it is certainly not anything I have experienced or been exposed to. 

“When I was a kid I never saw my Maori mates, my Samoan mates, my European mates or my Chilean mates as being any different to me. In the playground we were one.

“It’s the same at work. If we had a cultural festival at Toyota New Zealand, I think we would have most cultures featuring.

“Even though diversity in the workplace is topical, I believe our process – not through intention or design – has just naturally attracted the best people, and the best people just happen to have a multitude of cultures and interests in their backgrounds. I think that is what makes this place pretty special.”

MotoringNZ: Toyota in New Zealand is as it is in Japan; a powerhouse. How does this ship sail – is strict adherence to head office corporate responsibilities and ideals expected; what allowance do you have to imprint your own aspirations? 

Lala: “One of the things that excited me about coming back from the US is the autonomy and the flexibility that TMC (Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan) provide TNZ with.

“In the US we had a Japanese co-ordinator in almost every division. But TMC see New Zealand as a dojo – an innovation hub – to trial new business processes and opportunities.

“That’s why we have had really strong interest and support for the ‘Drive Happy’ project. It’s a market where we can test and trail exciting new innovations and business models and then be an innovation hub, via TMC, to other distributors around the world.”

MotoringNZ: This is a carefully planned handover – it was clear more than a year ago that you were to be the next on the throne, as it were. All the same, history seems to conspire to ensure these changeovers occur during periods of challenge: Your predecessor assumed the job at the height of the 2008 global financial crisis, you are taking the reins during Covid-19 – does that add to the weight of responsibility.

Lala: “No …. 

 “ … it doesn’t.

“I have had a mentor (based in the US, Dave Oldfield), for 12 years, who I meet with and engage with, and I’ve had Alistair mentor me himself for more than 15 years.

“I knew before I went to the States that this (CEO role) was a likely opportunity, given that Alistair had a done a similar secondment. He mentioned to me early in my career that, because we’re such a small company, the cost of sending somebody overseas is such that you need to make sure than whoever you send is likely to be a successor. That, and when he asked me to undertake my MBA, were signals.

“So, anyway, it’s been a really long tail. When Covid hit I guess those 10 plus years of planning and preparation … well, I won’t say it was by any stretch of the imagination easy (to operate TNZ during lockdown) but the outputs of the training, the mentoring and the programming  … I’m left feeling we have navigated it extremely well. 

“The culture of our company has gone through the roof. The engagement has been unbelievable. And our start-up has been nothing short of exceptional.”

“So, I certainly don’t feel it as a burden. I feel it as an exciting opportunity.”

MotoringNZ: So come 8am, July 1, you’re in the big chair – what’s Job One and what are the immediate challenges facing Toyota NZ that you feel compelled to address?

 Lala: “I feel as there is an opportunity for us to really strengthen the core of our business, to serve our customers better. I know that may sound like a wishy-washy statement, but actually I think a one or two percent increase in every area of our business will give us a huge advantage, not just over out competition, but also to deliver our customers a far better experience.

“So the first job on day one is strengthening our core in areas of operational efficiency.”

MotoringNZ: It’s often said that when a brand is dominant, the only way to go is down – Toyota market share remains at a record high, but volume has diminished in recent years and Lexus has always been a quiet premium circle achiever. How confident are you that Toyota can remain the country’s most-loved car brand and what will keep it there?

Lala: “Actually, our market share has been as high as 24 percent so the fact that we’re currently at 20 percent tells me it’s low.

“I’m not so concerned about volume, because volume in the past has meant we’ve done things that we probably shouldn’t have. Did we over-invest in some channels over others? Possibly. But of course, it was done for a reason of feeding our value chain. I think there’s opportunities for us to grow our market share quite substantially, particularly with the new products we have coming over the next 18 months.

“What will keep us at number one is probably the experience at our stores around the country.

The Gazoo fan club starts here …

MotoringNZ: Your passion is for performance is obvious – your most recent daily drive cars have been a Lexus GS F and a Toyota Supra, you returned from a three-year stint with Toyota US with a Corvette ZO6 and you are a huge Gazoo Racing fan. Meantime, your predecessor, Alistair, is perhaps setting a different kind of standard … he drives a Lexus hybrid. Do you follow in his tyre tracks, keep up with the power play or find a happy medium.

Lala: (Laughing) “The first thing I’d say is Alistair’s a huge car guy and a real motorsport nut. You just look in his office; it’s ful of motorsport stuff. And our motorsport programme would not have got off the ground if it wasn’t for Alistair.

“So, while he is a tree-hugger, he’s a tree-hugger car enthusiast! He’s wanted to create his brand around sustainable and low emissions.

“My twist on that is that I see low emissions sustainable product coming though that also deliver the power and performance that excites me. If you look at the plug-in RAV4, the performance makes it a car I would drive.

“Yes, I’m a car guy. I just love cars.” 

MotoringNZ: You’ve often spoken about how Toyota is in transition from being a traditional automaker to a mobility company focused on future technologies – it’s a simple statement describing a journey of huge, probably complex, change. What are the implications for our country?

Lala: “Toyota is in the strongest position to deliver mobility in New Zealand. I say that with real confidence because I truly believe we have the best selection of sustainable products and, more importantly, I think we have the best coverage through the country in terms of accessibility.

“This is all about transitioning customers from (vehicle) ownership, to (vehicle) usage to (vehicle) access. The implications to our country are going to be immense. For cities like Auckland that struggle with congestion, it’s hopefully going to provide some logistics efficiency.

“I think from a personal consumer perspective, the implications here are going to be around how privacy laws evolve. Because, for effective car share, you need to have a transport system that gives you ‘first kilometre’, ‘last kilometre’ transport, as well as your core journey.

“For that to happen, it needs to be inter-modal. For something to be inter-modal, you need to have some data-sharing across different platforms. That has implications for our country but I think we are evolving and moving toward this.

“Contact tracing and social distancing … this Covid crisis, if anything, has widened out lenses to the fact of the likelihood of being tracked. And people are seeing the benefits from a health perspective.

“From a transport perspective, if a system could tell you how you could get off a bus at this time, and onto a train at that time and then into a taxi at another time … well, then the convenience and ease of mobility is what is going to make people more open to the fact that data is going to be shared.

“What implications will that have for our market? Well, it’s probably going to radically change the structure. We are a market of 30 percent private sales and 70 percent fleet or business. Under an effective car share, there are big question marks of leasing and rental, on structures of our current industry that could dramatically change. Which I think is quite exciting.” 

MotoringNZ: Toyota is dominant in hybrids and the sales imprint here is impressive, yet EVs are rising and we’ve all that Green-generated electricity to feed them. Toyota looks more like a follower than a leader with partial and total plug-in vehicles. How long before it and Lexus here have a full EV 

Lala: We’ll have an EV here within the next 18 to 24 months. Just in time for demand.

MotoringNZ: Also, there are a couple of hydrogen fuel cell Mirais in the company garage, apparently sitting idle. NZ also seems keen to get into the hydrogen game; there’s already talk of Palmerston North, your home city, being a ‘hydrogen hub’ – a fuelling centre for medium to heavy transport using this fuel. Can we see your brand hit that road?

Lala: “The hydrogen discussion in NZ is really exciting at the moment. We’ve already had conversations around promoting the energy as a sustainable and viable alternative. But I don’t believe this is something that can be done by just one brand. I see non-traditional alliances forming, that might not have ever been considered. We’re in conversations with the right people for that to happen.

“Does that mean we would support a hydrogen hub in Palemrston North? Maybe. I thinmk it would be a case of seeing what evolves and how it evolves.

New Mirai is available to New Zealand … all we need is an infrastructure to support Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology.

“As for Mirai? Well there discussions at the moment about whether we will introduce the new Mirai, which was revealed last year, into New Zealand and how we would do that. It is certainly available to us and we are certainly excited about introducing it. But you cannot do that without infrastructure.

“So we have a few ideas with some strategic partners – other car companies and other organisations – about what would the introduction of hydrogen mobility look like.”

MotoringNZ: The work-life balance at corporate level can be challenging. You’re a family guy, living in a typical Kiwi house in a typical Kiwi suburb – you involve in your childrens’ recreational endeavours (No.1 spanner/supporter on your son’s racing kart) and you’ve found a new hobby in photography. Do you fear any of this having to be shelved going forward?

Lala: “I do love getting out and taking landscape photos but haven’t picked my camera up for a long time because my son’s karting has kept me busy.

“My priority is to Toyota and my family and, of course, it’s been quite tough. My daughters and my wife really enjoyed living in the States … my girls didn’t want to go but they’ve struggled with the transition back, as teenagers sometimes do.

“I’m really grateful I have Sandy holding things together and it’s just a case of holding everything in balance. I’ve empowered my management team and my executive team to lead and drive some of the stuff.

“The reality is that I’ll be away a lot so I’m really lucky to have the support of a good family.”

Regime change at Toyota NZ

Neeraj Lala becomes the market leader’s fifth local chief executive in 50 years.

Alistair Davis, left, and Neeraj Lala.

MARKET-dominant Toyota New Zealand and its prestige Lexus affiliate has a new boss. 

Neeraj Lala, at present the Palmerston North-centred brand’s chief operating officer at present, will start work on July 1 in the next step role, as chief executive officer.

In doing so he replaces Alistair Davis, who held the job for 12 years – assuming responsibility from another New Zealander, Bob Field.

Though ostensibly heading into retirement, Davis will follow the same path taken by his own predecessor by retaining a corporate connection, as non-executive chair of the board reporting to Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in Japan. 

A Wellington-born married man and father of three, Lala has expressed excitement to take the helm as Toyota transitions from being a traditional car maker into a mobility company focused on future technologies.
 
“It has been a privilege to serve under Alistair’s leadership … and I appreciate his encouragement of my career development at Toyota. Alistair’s focus on people, culture and sustainability is well-embedded in the company and in the leadership team.
 
“I intend to carry on with that core focus, while advocating for an even better use of data and digital assets to get closer to our customers, particularly in these challenging and competitive times,” he says.
 
Mr Davis has called his successor a qualified leader who thrives on challenges and has the energy and vision to inspire and lead the company forward into a changed world.
 
“In Neeraj, Toyota has a well-prepared leader to take the company forward in the post-Covid 19 economy. He is an advocate for new ideas when it comes to how automakers market and sell their products in the 21st century,” he says.
 
Lala is known for being particularly passionate about performance machines - he drives a 2020 Toyota GR Supra - and technology. These interests mirror those of TMC President Akio Toyoda, who has even raced cars under a pseudonym.
 
Lala joined Toyota New Zealand in 1988 as an internet development co-ordinator and has since ascended via almost all areas of the Toyota business including marketing, new vehicles, product planning and used vehicles.

In 2014, he added to the Bachelor of Commerce from Victoria University held when he began employment by completing an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), finishing top in his class with distinction.

Between the end of 2014 to 2018 he undertook an executive leadership programme with Toyota Motor Sales in the United States, basing in California.

Since then he has been instrumental in driving transformational change at Toyota.

Mr Davis declined opportunity to be interviewed about his own period of tenure, citing preference for media attention to go to his replacement.

Richer outfitted Fortuner coming

Engine upgrades, improved towing capacity and more equipment for Toyota’s ‘other’ medium SUV.

THE diesel ‘alternate’ to the petrol-wed Highlander is about to be upgraded for New Zealander followers 

Revisions to the Fortuner, available here since 2015, largely follow those just announced for the HiLux.

The changes are obvious when spotted – though sighting a Fortuner has tended to be a challenge. With 54 registered in its year of launch, in 2015, 534 in 2106 – its full year – when 87 were rentals, 440 (25 rental) in 2017, 465 (one rental) in 2018 and 816 (of which 542 were rental) last year, plus 20 this year to date, it’s been a quiet achiever for Toyota New Zealand.

No matter. The Palmerston North-based distributor is sticking by its competitor to the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Ford Everest and soon-to-go Holden Trailblazer and Isuzu MU-X.

Moreover, it is likely renew marketing focus on Fortuner because the model is just about to enter the market in an updated form that delivers a more sophisticated look, improved performance and better tech.

The detail will sound familiar, because unsurprisingly it’s pretty much the same stuff that will come to the 2021 HiLux, revealed last week.

TNZ could have, in fact, chosen to discuss Fortuner concurrently with the HiLux presentation, but chose to keep them separate to keep the information flow tidier. So Fortuner’s story was held over to this week.

So, what’s in store? The current two model grades, GXL and Limited, seem set to continue to be offered and the mid-life update will mirror most of the changes made to the HiLux, including its upgraded 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.

Pricing and full spec are unlikely to come with this week’s announcement; in all probability, TNZ will follow normal process and hold these details until much closer to launch, which will surely tie to when HiLux appears.

On that matter, TNZ suggests “late year.” Surely we won’t be far behind Australia, which is taking both ute and wagon in August? Presently Fortuner GXL is a $55,490 ask and Limited sites $3000 above that.

Anyway, the images and some detail is already out, thanks to our neighbour.

Access to their press material suggests that as well as the sophisticated new exterior design, characterised by its sleek multi-LED headlight clusters, equipment levels have increased with the fitment of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wired, not wireless) as part of a significant improvement to the infotainment system, which also takes a new touch screen, enlarged to eight inches (so, up one inch).

This is as much as Toyota wants to say about the interior, but suggestion is that it will get a fancier cabin fit-out than the updated HiLux ute.

The engine upgrade is significant. Matched as standard to an automatic transmission, the tweaked engine pumps out significantly more power and torque – up from 130kW/450Nm to 150kW/500Nm – thanks to “new and uprated components”.

Fuel consumption has also been reduced courtesy of improved cooling, says Toyota, which claims a 17 percent efficiency increase in the urban/city cycle, which will see combined consumption reduce from the current 8.6L/100km.

The boost in power also sees the Toyota Fortuner’s towing capacity increase from 2800kg to 3100kg, and is likely to be accompanied by a fix for the diesel particulate filter problem .

The sales pitch? Well, it used to be that TNZ marketed Fortuner as a a "medium rugged" SUV, pitching it as a less expensive alternative to the Land Cruiser Prado (also "medium rugged") or a more hard-core wagon than the passenger-car-based Highlander crossover, which it described as "medium soft". There’s no logical reason to divest from that strategy, not least given that Highlander from next year will drop its V6 in favour of a smaller capacity four-cylinder petrol with hybrid assist.

Prius no hit but still a stayer

Latest sales returns remind Kiwi love for hybrids is cemented .. except when it comes to the car that introduced the world to this tech. The Prius’s battery charge is all but depleted.

No question about the rav4 hybrid … Toyota’s most popular model in may, when the market was down overall, is still subject to a waiting list.

IS time just about up for the Toyota Prius?

Actually, it’s a not a new question. This poser has been relevant since at least 2015.

That’s really the first year when it became obvious that the hatchback that 25 years ago introduced motorists to the bright new world of electrified motoring was not doing at all well, at least in New Zealand-new form.

Which might seem crazy because, of course, as much as Prius appreciation has been falling away, our hybrid penetration has been ramping up, and quite considerably. And when it comes to favourite battery-assisted products, they’re all from the same brand: Toyota.

So, really, as much as the Prius has been on losing streak, the fact is that Toyota New Zealand has been winning. Really, then, the original hybrid car from Japan’s No.1 looks to be a victim of its own success. It has simply spawned development  of so many other Toyota hybrids at its own expense..

New Zealand new vehicle registration figures for May show that just two Prius and 10 of the smaller Prius Cs were sold during the month, way down on sales achieved by other Toyota hybrids – 413 RAV4s, 127 Corollas, 85 C-HRs, and 20 Camrys.

And year-to-date hybrid registration figures make just as depressing reading for the model. They show just 96 Prius and Prius C have been sold so far in 2020. Compare that to 1239 RAV4s, 431 Corollas, 246 C-HRs and 152 Camrys. Not only that, but various ‘H’ versions offered by Toyota’s luxury cousin Lexus have achieve a combined total of 187 registrations so far this year.

current prius has struggled since launch in 2016 and its predecessor was a falling star, too.

How does that compare to back in 2015 and prior? Well, it was a slightly different structure then, when Prius was a bigger family, including the V people carrier then. By chance, MotoringNZ owner Richard Bosselman happened to have written  ‘a what chance for Prius?’ story back in 2016, in which the data was presented.

According to the NZTA information cache from that period, in 2015 the C achieved 367 sales – whereas Prius hatch took just 30 (and the V 11). The preceding year was stronger for the hatch, with 121 units (against 287 C and 3 V), 549 in 2013 (no count for C, 55 for V) and 473 in 2012, a period when only the hatch was available. The was all collated because Toyota at that time was about to launch not only the fourth generation (aka ‘4G’) hatch we have now but also a car that seemed to do all Prius could, but in more acceptable form: Corolla hybrid. And, yet, five years on, the Corolla and Prius co-exist still. Who’d have picked that scenario?

Given all latest statistics continue to add up to a sad time for the iconic Prius, which earlier in its career was so new-age that it was the green vehicle of choice for everyone from Hollywood movie stars to politicians., the question obviously still seems reasonable. But TNZ is steadfastly true.

The hatch’s story began back in the early 1990s when Toyota Motor Corporation decided to attempt to develop a car that would have up to twice the fuel economy of its big-selling Corolla. The project culminated in the the brand’s first petrol-electric hybrid, a prototype Prius unveiled at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show – the name, appropriately, a Latin word for “first” or “to go before”.

The model sure was a first.  With its Hybrid Synergy Drive system and battery pack that combined forces with a conventional petrol engine to achieve vastly improved fuel economy, it opened the way for electrified motoring well before fully electric motoring could begin to become economically possible.

The first-generation Prius, a four-door sedan, was launched in Japan in 1997. Toyota New Zealand introduced the second-generation model, a slightly geeky-looking five-door hatch, in 2003. Since then close to 6000 of them have been sold new here, their owners appreciating the superior fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions that come from combining the self-charging electric motor and petrol engine.

arrival of Corolla in hybrid format could have been the end of Prius … but it wasn’t.

But now it seems the Prius’ job is done, leaving it up to more conventional-looking Toyota models to further the career of the hybrid passenger vehicle.

Those models – RAV4, Corolla, C-HR and Camry – are doing very well, too. Last month the hybrids accounted for 77.4 percent of all RAV4 sales, 68.6 percent of Corolla, 70.2 percent of C-HR and a remarkable 90.2 percent of all Camry sales.

The overall Toyota performance led the way in a stellar month for hybrids,  which saw them jump from around 4.3 percent of all new vehicle registrations in the opening four months of the year, to 13.3 percent in May. Compare that with the penetration achieved by electric vehicles – the models that mains-replenish – which was 0.94 percent for plug-in hybrids and 1.07 percent for full electrics.

While other hybrid product such as the Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq, have contributed to all of this, by far the biggest contribution has been from the Toyotas. 

But obviously the Prius, the model that started it all for hybrids, hasn’t figured much at all in this success. So what does this mean for the future of the car? Will it be retired?

Internationally, one opinion among the international media is that the Prius name is too iconic to be completely retired, so it may be saved by TMC for use on a future battery electric vehicle.

TNZ chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says he hasn’t heard any official word relating to the future of Prius.  That doesn’t worry him; he’s happy to see the model continue to remain on sale in New Zealand for those who want it – and he reminds that it is very popular as a taxi.

“More to the point is that Prius is the Toyota model that introduced hybrid motoring to New Zealand, and in that regard it has been a success,” he says.

“Look where Toyota is now. We have hybrid versions of almost all our passenger vehicles, and we will soon be adding to that – hybrid versions of the new Yaris and Yaris Cross, the Highlander larger SUV, and in around 18 months we’ll also get a hybrid version of the Hilux ute.”

CH-R in hybrid form would seem to provision a better kind of Prius … that it is also tracking strongly suggests the market recognises this.

Loan scheme gives new life to ghosts

Recipients of Highlanders loaned by Toyota as a small business assistance won’t need to run them in. That’s been well and truly taken care of.

 LOANING cars to struggling businesses potentially helps the country’s biggest brand ease a headache Covid-19 might hardly improve.

Toyota New Zealand’s intent to provision 100 Highlander sports utility vehicles to small businesses nationwide for a year’s free usage comes with a caveat it has been happy to discuss. To a point.

Though current models, small print with the Small Business Driver package clearly relates the 3.5-litre V6 seven-seaters in mid-level GXL trim are not as might be imagined: Brand-new examples of this $58,490 car.

What’s on offer is stock first registered in 2018 and likely to have 30,000km to 45,000km on the clock, apparently accrued from toting tourists. 

Plucked from the in-house Signature Class used vehicle processing programme, the Highlanders are from what is perceived within the broader industry to be a massive count of vehicles laid up in what could be called TNZ’s ‘ghost fleet’.

Which is? A raft of mainly ex-rentals the market leader has acquired through buy-back agreements far less common now and then parked up for months … perhaps years.

This the result of TNZ having been unable to push them through used car channels en mass, for fear of causing a glut that might collapse used car prices. 

Instead, they sit inactive in what has been derisively called, by rival brands, a ‘rental swamp’. Holding yards and warehouses. Some there for so long that – according to talk - registrations have retired, batteries depleted and tyres squared.

Industry lore relates enough vehicles are in a limbo to likely be costing the brand many thousands of dollars annually in upkeep and storage fees. Can that be true? 

TNZ has been asked on numerous occasions, including during compilation of today’s story, to offer clarification. Every request has been met the same way. With silence.

As much as chief executive officer Neeraj Lala was happy to share his enthusiasm about the loan scheme – which is, beyond doubt, a very generous opportunity – he declined to deal with a host of follow-up questions relating to the cars’ provenance and the state and size of the stockpile. 

The finer details of what’s on offer currently were passed on by a potential applicant who, while a little surprised by the cars’ suggested histories, was not particularly perturbed.

“A free car is a very generous offer, no argument. As it turns out, I don’t qualify because another of the stipulations is that you have to be a recipient of the Government’s wage subsidy, but it’s a good concept.”

An industry involver spoken to subsequently also thought the idea was interesting.

“It’s a rental swamp and the swamp needs draining ... this is what has to be done.

“They’re probably not making anything on it. But it at least gets some vehicles back on the roads and free of storage fees that, while quite cheap on a per day per car basis, soon adds up to a chunk of change when you’re talking big counts for long term.” 

‘Buy-back’ was said to be a core ingredient of when Toyota basically sought to corner the national fleet business, which some years accounts for up to 80 percent of new car sales. 

Since 2018 TNZ has sought to swing its focus back to private buyers with its Drive Happy programme that aims for fair pricing and says it has detuned the intensity and scale of its fleet push.

Even so, it still agrees to discount to large-scale purchasers and, as a glance around any airport carpark (at least pre-Covid) would confirm that, while other brands have come back into hirer circles, there are still a lot of Corollas, Highlanders and RAV4s behind those rental placards.

And 2018 appears to have been the last big year, with industry statistics showing 1660 Highlanders having gone into rental, whereas just 179 followed last year. The majority were GXL variants. 

Now, of course, there’s coronavirus, which has certainly dented the car trade and is doing those brands supplying rental providers no favours.

Distributors have been pressured to take back stock – often in as-new condition - now standing idle and waive delivery of incoming product.

That’s a big ask: June has historically been a big month for rental car fleet replenishment to cope with the tide of winter tourists. TNZ indicated recently it is challenged by this; it doesn’t want to upset core corporate clients, but neither can it afford to assume responsibility for pre-agreed consignments.

With the Highlanders, it’s not quite a matter of first in, first served: Only small businesses with fewer than 20 employees are eligible and applicants are vetted by a selection panel.

The scheme has been created in conjunction with MediaWorks, and includes a share of $1 million of advertising with the media company for successful applicants. 

Those interested in applying have until 11.59pm on June 9 to apply. 

Perhaps, at the end of the exercise, users might receive tasty opportunity to purchase the vehicles outright.

Of course, they have to weigh up the deal against the fuel costs. The V6’s taste for petrol is a core reason why the next-generation Highlander, coming next year, will only be offered as a four-cylinder hybrid.

Hilux unmasked - new look, more kit, extra grunt

Here it is, the updated Hilux. Would you trade a Supra for it?

 THEY’RE calling it the most technically-advanced ute ever offered by Toyota – so is that enough for the reinvigorated Hilux, unveiled internationally today, to at last wrest market leadership from its core rival, Ford Ranger?

Toyota New Zealand chief operating officer Neeraj Lala is understandably bullish about the updated variant, whose exact launch timing this year still has yet to be revealed, though Australia has signalled it will start receiving stock in August.

His enthusiasm is such that he has vowed to ditch his current company car, a GR Supra, for an example of the latest truck, which is incoming in four specification levels – Workmate, SR, SR5 and the range topping SR5 Cruiser, the latter available in both 2WD and 4WD and automatic only.

“I believe the performance of this truck is so good, I’ll be swapping out my GR Supra so we can tow our go kart trailer to my son’s weekend races. I can’t wait to see customers return to Hilux with this significant improvement,” says Lala.

Introducing two years after the ute’s last big refresh, the new line will also contain a special launch edition inspired by the recent success of the Hilux Gladiator. Lala says this edition, which he spoke to MotoringNZ about last month, will be “custom-built … for New Zealand customers and conditions.”

What isn’t mentioned in launch material is the variant some in the national media insisted was coming – though Lala always said it was not: A Gazoo Racing version, supposed with a twin turbo diesel.

So, what’s in store? Well, it’s a restyling exercise, with a bolder, tougher-looking exterior ‘on most variants’. And that  2.8-litre turbo diesel engine offers more power, achieves better cooling, resolves the diesel particulate filter issues and has better fuel efficiency than its predecessor. Ride comfort, towing and equipment levels also improve.

Maximum power has been increased by 20kW to 150kW – so, a 15.3 percent lift -  while peak torque on automatic models has been ramped up to 500Nm, which represents an 11.1 percent/50Nm improvement.

Fuel consumption also improves by up to 11.1 percent while tuned accelerator response delivers greater driver control. The six-speed automatic remains.

Suspension upgrades run to revised shock-absorber tuning, new bushings and improved leaf-spring design. Toyota claims a more comfortable ride, particularly over rough roads and with low loads while maintaining the model’s legendary off-road capabilities.

In 4x4 models with downhill-assist control, an additional traction control feature when using 2WD mode reroutes torque to assist grip in muddy or grassy conditions on worksites.

Towing capacity for automatic 4x4 variants has been upgraded to a maximum of 3500kg to match manual versions. On 4x2 variants, all diesel automatics are now rated at 2800kg, an increase of up to 300kg.

Revised exterior styling is intended to deliver a ‘tough, robust on-road presence’ that is intended to be more in keeping with the global Toyota ute/truck family. Particularly obvious is that large trapezoidal grille that dominates the front design and incorporates more pronounced horizontal elements that deliver a wider, more planted look.

Grille surrounds differ by grade while newly designed headlights are smaller for a "meaner" look and light clusters include LEDs on high grades.

Inside, all models have been upgraded to an 8-inch display screen with enhanced voice recognition and the latest smartphone integration functions, including the adoption at last of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher grades are also equipped with satellite navigation and digital radio.

A 4.2-inch multi-information display in the instrument binnacle incorporates a digital speed readout, among other new functions. Overseas reports speak of front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, automatic air-conditioning and a nine-speaker JBL stereo system with an 800W eight-channel amplifier, plus accessories such as roller bed covers, a locking tailgate and a 12-volt power supply for the cargo bed.

Full NZ pricing and specifications are expected to be announced closer to launch.

RAV4 hybrid rising as market drops

New vehicle sales in May were down, but the leading player still had something to cheer about.

THE new vehicle market was down by around a third last month, but a big surge of interest in the RAV4 during that period has buoyed its distributor.

Toyota New Zealand says the crossover achieving 538 registrations to place as the top-selling car in May, when 8313 new vehicle registrations were accrued in total, also reveals a scenario that might outwardly might seem surreal given the market condition.

At a time when new vehicle sales are dropping, this car is in hot demand – so much so that anyone ordering one now won’t see it until perhaps July or August. 

Actually, it’s just the battery-assisted edition that’s on the ‘most wanted’ list. TNZ always knew the hybrid would be popular – it surged ahead at launch simply because every dealer wanted one as a demonstrator – but is impressed nonetheless that the private market is driving the car’s progress now.

And there’s another twist. The RAV4s that have been built for the rental market, which now wants out of new vehicle with international tourism now kaput, cannot be diverted to meet that demand, as hire companies only ordered the petrol pure variants.

In discussing the May count, TNZ chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says he has around 800 RAV4 hybrid pre-orders still unfulfilled. Most of those cars should be delivered in June, the remainder probably in July. 

All up, TNZ’s passenger volume in May is down around eight percent year-on-year, not so bad all things considered. What factors into this is that it was delivering cars ordered before lockdown.

As for what happens from now on? “Our new car inquiry rate is low,” he concedes. “But we have this incredible back order of deliveries, so for the next couple of months we will still look quite good. So, in that sense, it’s quite good. And the (ongoing) demand for hybrid RAV4 is simply phenomenal, a little bit unprecedented.” 

The Motor Industry Association, which speaks for distributors, has also signalled a degree of satisfaction with the May result, which though well off the same month last year, when 12,5259 cars and light commercials were sold, nonetheless represents a relatively decent post lockdown result, given the circumstances.

“The month of May re-opened for business albeit in a constrained manner,” noted chief executive David Crawford.

“It was a challenging month operating under alert level two and an economically depressed environment.”

Year-to-date the entire new vehicle market is down by 19,622 units, a 32 percent drop on the count for the same period of 2019.

Registrations of 5401 passenger and SUVs for last month were 29.2 percent (2223 units) below 2019 volumes while a commercial vehicle tally of 2912 units represents a 37.2 percent decrease.

After RAV4 the Ford Ranger installed as the second-strongest seller for May, though with 498 units, with another Toyota, the Hilux, nabbing third place, just 58 units behind. Lala was also stoked with that result.

Toyota was the overall market leader with 19 percent market share with 1611 units, followed by Holden, with nine percent (760 units) then Ford (eight percent, 702 units).

The MIA has joined those calling for the Government to bring the country to Level One Covid-19 restrictions “sooner rather than later.”

 Commented Crawford: “The MIA shares the views of many that with no new Covid-19 cases for the last 11 days and no known community spread for at least two months, we should be looking to move to alert level 1.

“The country is better prepared now to manage the odd case of Covid-19 should it arise. Our health system has improved significantly in terms of testing capability, contact tracing and hospital intensive care capacity.

“It is time to get our economy moving forward while maintaining our health gains.”

GR Corolla? Toyota NZ’s revved

The big sleep might be ending, with talk about Toyota reviving an old-school favourite. What’s the local distributor’s reaction?

SPECULATION about Toyota Japan prepping a Gazoo Racing version of the Corolla sounds sweet to a local brand boss.

When asked for his thoughts about the potential of any such programme, Toyota New Zealand chief operating officer Neeraj Lala was unequivocal: Bring it on.

 Talk about the potential of a GR Corolla that would be a direct heir to the celebrated 4AGE 1.6-twin cam AE86 and GT Corollas of the 1980s has re-emerged on strength of a tweet sent out by Toyota America to media.

A message relating that the NZ-confirmed baby GR Yaris hot hatch is not a starter Stateside, the American operation raised flags – and hopes – by adding “it’s time the U.S. got a hot hatch to call its own.” 

Commentators saw that as a green light for Corolla, purely on strength that the brand’s top seller is the only other conventional hatchback in the Toyota line-up.

Sounds thin? Well, then consider what might be construed from this sole comment from Lala: “We are working hard on confirming this model, and would love to have it here in NZ.”

Interesting choice of words, right? Does ‘confirming’ mean there’s definitely something going on? Or is this just mischief?

Let’s not forget Toyota America’s interest in the concept of a hot Corolla has already been delivered in exactly that form. The highly-modified one-off special pictured here was a one-off created for the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas. 

Certainly, Lala and other TNZ high-ups are huge fanboys for Akio Toyoda’s aggressive expansion plan for its GR (Gazoo Racing) high-performance road cars.

NZ was amongst the first export customers for the GR Supra that has revived the brand’s most famous sports car and is also in the queue for the upcoming GR Yaris, a quasi-homologation homage to its World Rally Championship car 

If and when a GR Corolla does arrive, then don’t be surprised if it borrowed heavily from the GR Yaris, including using the blitzer baby’s 200kW/370Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive system.

In addition to Supra and Yaris, the GR clan will also include the next-generation 86 sports coupe – with the GR 86 nameplate – by the end of 2021 and also the GR Super Sport, a road-going version of the race car Toyota is creating to run in the Le Mans hypercar category expected to start in the 2021/22 season, though the category is looking precarious after Aston Martin froze its programme.

TNZ confirms Highlander in hybrid only

The V6 has served its purpose, but from now on petrol-electric efficiency makes more sense, distributor says.

EVERYTHING hinges on hybrid – that’s from Toyota New Zealand, in confirming today that the just-revealed next-generation Highlander will divest its V6 here and devote to petrol-electric purity.

Total commitment from TNZ to a new-to-type drivetrain that bumps a petrol V6 that continues in other markets and has been a mainstay here in the current and previous models is a safe call at the right time, local chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says. 

Pointing out that hybrids now account for one in three sales of new Toyota cars here, he said: “The introduction of another hybrid to our line-up further complements our focus on moving towards a low emission economy, while delivering our customers with a fuel-efficient large SUV.”

And that’s the whole point of the exercise. While the V6 models have been popular for their impressive power output, the engine has been increasingly tested to come up to speed in respect to economy.

That the current car has maintained healthy volume here has been increasingly due to its popularity as a rental car – where the seven-seat configuration lends favourability.

At same token, it has slipped in status with private buyers, to the point where Toyota and its fleet customers have found moving ex-rental stock into the used car forum a challenging exercise. All the more so, perhaps, now that the coronavirus crisis has destroyed tourism and thus forced operators into selling off stock.

“Toyota has now sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally, including in excess of 17,000 in New Zealand,” Lala said.

"The all-new hybrid Highlander is the beneficiary of Toyota's global hybrid leadership, extensive experience in SUVs, and unrivalled reputation for quality, durability and reliability,"

On arrival in early 2021 the model will achieve immediate status as the first seven-seater hybrid SUV has had here with a Toyota badge – a distinction that separates it from the brand’s Lexus RX, which added a third row two years ago.
Married to a 2.5-litre petrol engine, it is of course a mild system – plug-in recharging has yet to enter the Toyota lexicon – and the cited total hybrid system power output is expected to be 179kW (whereas the new V6 has 218kW).  

The hybrid drivetrain marries to an intelligent AWD system that incorporates front and rear electric motors. The hybrid battery is located under the second-row seats.

The fourth-generation Highlander sits on the Toyota New Global Architecture GA-K platform, providing multiple benefits for dynamics, safety and styling, Lala says.

“The new Highlander is brand new from the ground up; a new platform for improved stability and handling, a new engine with class leading efficiency, new levels of safety and with a dynamic styling package.”

He says it will appeal as being “a significant improvement on the outgoing model, with improved efficiency and flexibility for families.”
Toyota says this has enabled engineers to develop a lightweight and highly rigid bodyshell with a low centre of gravity - features that provide the new SUV with nimble handling and comfortable driving around town and on the highway.

The new generation has advanced Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of traffic situations.

The new platform has also allowed designers to craft a longer, more distinctive body that delivers a more flexible interior with expanded cargo space and a more tailored ambience.

Toyota has sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally.

New Highlander hybrid revealed

Here’s the new Toyota Highlander – but you won’t see it in the metal for a little while yet.

DETAILS about the hybrid system set to drive the next-generation Highlander have been revealed.

In giving insight into the new-to-type drivetrain that Toyota New Zealand has previously affirmed will be a sole choice, thus bumping a petrol V6 that continues in other markets, the brand has also provisioned a first look at the new styling.

The Palmerston North-based brand has yet to offer any comment on the car and its timing. Toyota Australia, whose launch timings general chime with ours, has said it is set to land in the first half of 2021.

This will be the first time a hybrid powertrain has been offered on new Highlander here. Married to a 2.5-litre petrol engine, it is of course a mild system – plug-in recharging has yet to enter the Toyota lexicon – and the cited total hybrid system power output is expected to be 179kW (whereas the new V6 has 218kW). 

Toyota also cites “excellent fuel economy and low emissions” without being too specific. The hybrid battery is located under the second-row seats.

The hybrid drivetrain marries to an intelligent AWD system that incorporates front and rear electric motors.

The fourth-generation Highlander sits on the Toyota New Global Architecture GA-K platform, providing multiple benefits for dynamics, safety and styling.

Toyota says this has enabled engineers to develop a lightweight and highly rigid bodyshell with a low centre of gravity - features that provide the new SUV with nimble handling and comfortable driving around town and on the highway.

The new generation has advanced Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of traffic situations.

The new platform has also allowed designers to craft a longer, more distinctive body that delivers a more flexible interior with expanded cargo space and a more tailored ambience.

Toyota has sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally.

Hilux future: NZ specials, hybrid … but no racer V6

An update is due for Toyota NZ’s top-selling vehicle five years into its model life.

BESPOKE versions of Hilux tailored in New Zealand are likely to be offered.

Production of special, perhaps even one-off, editions will be undertaken by Toyota New Zealand at its Signature Series facility at Thames, which started out as an assembly plant but now operates as a refurbishment centre for used import and ex-fleet and rental NZ-new product. 

The Palmerston North-centred national new vehicle sales leader says any such models would be to special order and specified above the current SR5 Cruiser.

What has inspired the programme is positive customer reaction to a flamboyant design study the distributor commissioned, chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says. 

Based on a 4WD double cab Hilux SR5 and unveiled at the 2017 Mystery Creek Fieldays, the Gladiator (below) carried around $65,000 worth of modifications and accessories. It remained in TNZ’s fleet for two years before being auctioned in December, 2019, the new owner being a Taupo man who bid $81,000 and also traded a Landcruiser in on it.

Says Lala: “We figure there’s an opportunity to do more of this. It’s taking Hilux back to its roots, because there’s long been a tradition of individuals doing big improvements their Toyota utes.”

Further information about the special edition programme is to be aired when TNZ also breaks silence on what is coming with a big mid-life facelift for the current generation Hilux. 

What’s set to arrive is far more extensive than the 2018 update that improved TNZ’s strongest-selling product in 2019, with around 7000 registrations. 

Toyota Japan plans an international announcement on May 21.

The upgrade is expected to include substantial cosmetic changes plus a re-powering of the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, which currently develops 130kW of power and 450Nm of torque in automatic form and 130kW/420Nm in manual, and revisions to improve the diesel particulate filter.

It is also expected to receive mild revisions to the interior that will include an upgraded infotainment system that includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

Lala says he can offer no comment until May 21, explaining “we are bound by an embargo. 

What has particularly excited media are renderings that have been bounced around the internet for weeks that appear to expose the facelift design.

Purportedly sourced from an independent global Toyota exporter, Milele Motors, and based on leaked internal documents, the images suggest the upgrade delivers new LED headlamp design, a larger front grille inspired by US truck styling and revisions to the Hilux’s rear, plus new 18-inch alloy wheels at the high end and 17s for the outright workhorses.

Beyond those images, there has been further intense speculation that Toyota is also entertaining with this update a new GR – for Gazoo Racing – variant featuring a twin-turbo V6 diesel making perhaps 200kW/650Nm if not more.

One national provider has become particularly fixated, with speculation repeated as recently as yesterday, apparently based on musing published by an Australian online outlet. 

Fake news?

“New Zealand is not going to get a V6 twin-turbocharged diesel-powered Hilux ute,” says Lala.

The NZ outlet’s stories have resulted in TNZ’s call centre being hit by inquiry from customers asking what other information was available. Lala wishes the writer would simply pick up the phone and talk to him.

One big drivetrain revision that is set to involve with the current ute, but won’t be included in the facelift, is adoption of hybrid technology.

“We’re committed to focussing on lowering exhaust emissions throughout our vehicle fleet, and that includes the Hilux ute,” says Lala. 

“So far Toyota Motor Corporation has produced 15 million hybrids, so we know how to build them.

“In New Zealand we are already selling hybrids that can tow – the RAV4 SUV – so it’s no big step to acknowledge that a hybrid will feature in the current model lineup some time in the next 12 to 18 months.”

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