Toyota New Zealand chief executive Neeraj Lala says he wants the brand to be a ‘market leader’; not only in terms of sales volume but also in terms of emissions reduction and mobility.
“Our responsibility as market leader extends beyond selling cars. It extends to sustainability, meeting the mobility needs of kiwis to help them move freely, and contributing to the communities we operate in,” says Lala.
“We are not being complacent on our bid for market leadership for a 35th consecutive year as we start to see our vehicle production return amidst global supply chain disruption.”
Toyota led both the passenger market and commercial market in New Zealand’s May registration figures. Year-to-date the brand boasts 12,995 registrations. May’s results should see the brand take a narrow lead over Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand for total registrations from the first five months of the year.
Toyota has yet to debut a fully electric passenger vehicle worldwide, a fact that has prompted some scrutiny from industry pundits and executives from other brands. Its first electric passenger car, the bZ4X, will debut early next year while its premium arm, Lexus, debuted its first electric car (the UX 300e) late last year.
Lala says that the move to be green is about more than just introducing low-emission vehicles, citing that it is also about mobility and car-sharing technology, hydrogen, and “contributing technological innovation to alternative sectors”. He cites the brand’s relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand as an example.
“It is equally as important for Toyota’s business continuity that we continue to electrify our fleet and ensure that our carbon footprint for new vehicle sales is on a downward trajectory to meet our emissions objective,” he adds.
While Toyota’s local line-up is EV-less for the moment, it is one of the most electrified. Nine of its 21 different nameplates can be purchased with a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, with those nine representing a large chunk of its most popular models.
Lala notes that Toyota New Zealand’s CO2 emissions across its new-vehicle sales is 162g/km, adding that 34% of the combined sales of Toyota and Lexus were electrified in some way (Lexus’ stand-alone sales were 84% electrified), and 46% of the RAV4s registered in May were hybrids.
So although it won’t be offering an EV until next year, its CO2 average is likely to be lower than some of the brand’s rivals that do have an EV in their line-up.
“It is telling that one of our top selling vehicles was the hybrid electric RAV4. We have seen an ever-increasing move to hybrid versions of our vehicles, as customers are able to now receive a Clean Car Discount for them,” says Lala.
“Our goal has always been depth and breadth of our range as we continue to move forward on our electrification journey, to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our kiwi customers.
“The transition to electrification has to be affordable, accessible and safe for all kiwis and this has always been our company’s goal. We are forging partnerships with both the government and not for profit groups to ensure we navigate this just transition on our journey to achieving net zero by 2050.”
Lala added a brief apology for customers waiting for their vehicles. On the Toyota New Zealand website, several models (including the RAV4, Hilux, and Camry) display a message on their showroom pages indicating how long the delays are set to be.
In the case of the aforementioned RAV4, deliveries for new orders aren’t set to arrive until December of this year at the earliest and April 2023 at the latest.
“I acknowledge that some of our customers have been waiting a long time for their vehicles, and I do apologise for the delays. I remain highly optimistic that with our loyal customers we will deliver a record number of sales this year.”