Monthly Archives October 2019

LONDON: Toyota is Arab’s favorite Japanese car brand, according to the YouGov poll, a result that bodes well for the company’s plans to move from manufacturer to mobility provider in the region.

The poll, which asked MENA residents for their thoughts on a range of issues related to Japan, found that many Arabs associate Japan with car manufacturing, with 56% of respondents citing it as one of the things that ‘they associate with the country the most.

In the GCC, that figure was particularly high, with more respondents associating Japan with car manufacturing than sushi or samurai.

It is possible that when Arabs associate Japan with car manufacturing, they think of one particular brand: Toyota.

After all, when asked to name their favorite Japanese car brand, 35% of those polled chose Toyota, a huge majority over other Japanese manufacturers listed in the poll.

The car brands that were ranked second in the poll, Nissan and Lexus, were each named as favorites by just 14% of those polled, a small number compared to Toyota’s dominance, although Lexus performed remarkably well. in the GCC, with 23% of respondents from that region listing it as their favorite.

Toyota’s strong reputation in the region is also exemplified by YouGov’s 2019 BrandIndex, an authoritative measure of brand perception that tracks brands based on metrics related to brand health, media activity and to the customer experience.

ALSO READ: Arab Consumers Associate Japan with High Quality

Toyota topped the 2019 BrandIndex for automakers in Saudi Arabia, ahead of German rivals Mercedes and BMW. Lexus ranked fourth on the index, ahead of South Korean automaker Hyundai, which placed fifth.

A spokesperson for BrandIndex said, “YouGov BrandIndex data in auto manufacturer sectors in Saudi Arabia for the first nine months of 2019 shows that out of 14 of the 16 metrics we track in BrandIndex, Toyota leads the industry among virtually all demographic segments of the market, including the general population.

Such indicators of Toyota’s strength in the Middle East market bode well for its vision of moving from a car maker to a mobility company.

Highlights of Toyota’s transformation strategy were shared with those from the inaugural Dubai World Congress for Autonomous Transportation on October 15.

The company’s decision to look beyond vehicle manufacturing to broader mobility issues is designed to meet the challenges of the future, from congestion in major cities due to overcrowding to the decline of the rural mobility around the world.

Mandali Khalesi, vice president of automated driving at the Toyota Research Institute for Automated Driving Development, told the conference: “The vehicle is not the goal. The goal is access to mobility. Mobility becomes a right that you have to go from A to B, whatever the mode of transport.

Toyota is taking clear steps to move from a carmaker to a major mobility provider, and its partnership with Al-Futtaim and RTA in Dubai is proof of that.

Given the brand’s support among Arab consumers, Toyota is in a strong position in the Middle East to build on its reputation as an automaker as it seeks to expand into other markets.

By Naomi Tajitsu

TOKYO (Reuters) – As global automakers rush to put long-range electric vehicles on highways amid tighter emissions laws, Japanese rivals are taking a niche approach and turning to less runabouts expensive and pint-sized to make expensive battery technology more accessible.

At the Tokyo auto show which begins on Thursday, Toyota Motor, Nissan and others are expected to show off one- and two-seater electric vehicle (EV) prototypes designed for short distances with limited top speeds.

They are betting that these electric vehicles are best suited for Japan’s narrow streets, cramped parking spaces and rapidly aging society, and that vehicles will eventually spread globally as the elderly population increases. But the jury is still out on whether these vehicles will work overseas.

Japanese strategy contrasts with that of General Motors , Volkswagen and other global players who are focusing on full-size passenger vehicles, including SUVs, to compete with the best-selling Tesla Model 3 EV sedan.

Toyota’s new ultra-compact BEV can accommodate two people and has a top speed of just 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour and a range of 100 kilometers on a single charge. At 2.49 meters in length, it is just over half the size of the Tesla Model 3.

Japan’s largest automaker, which pioneered “green car” technologies with the Prius gasoline hybrid over 20 years ago, has long argued that fully battery-powered electric vehicles were best suited for short. trips due to the high cost of batteries.

He also believes low-emission hybrids and zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, like his second-generation Mirai FCV, work best for long-distance driving.

“It’s difficult to apply the same technology to all driving needs,” said Akihiro Yanaka, head of Toyota’s EV product planning and development department, during a preview of the ultra-BEV. compact, which will be marketed in Japan at the end of 2020.

“So if we can leverage the strengths of battery electric technology in smaller vehicles, we would like to focus on this application first.”

MINICAR OF THE FUTURE

Nissan, Japan’s No. 2 automaker, also offers its new IMk as a futuristic expression of a “kei”, or minicar.

Kei cars, which account for about a third of all Japanese passenger car sales, are low-cost, fuel-efficient vehicles marketed almost exclusively for the domestic market and normally start at around $ 10,000.

Toyota did not provide pricing details for the ultra-compact BEV.

Honda Motor is also pursuing a “smaller is better” strategy with its more expensive Honda e, a small, four-seat battery-electric sedan launched earlier this year.

Honda plans to sell it in Europe and Japan at a starting price of around $ 32,000, which puts it in Tesla’s lineup. Model 3 starting at around $ 39,000.

Japanese automakers aren’t alone in seeing smaller EVs as the short-term solution to the limited and expensive lineup of battery-powered EVs. Small electric vehicles have been present on the global market for around ten years, since Daimler AG The Smart brand has launched an electric battery-powered version of its Fortwo model.

But they are yet to become mainstream in part because of a starting price north of $ 20,000, similar to that of many gas-powered family sedans, and a lack of demand in North America.

NICHE MARKET

Nissan and Toyota are currently planning their small electric vehicle models for the domestic market and are considering the possibility of marketing them overseas in the future, as emissions regulations tighten, particularly in Europe and Germany. China.

While it’s not clear whether these small cars will be able to find traction in, say, the sprawling suburbs and highways of the United States, some industry players believe these mini electric vehicles will help fill a need. of a wider range of mobility products as more people age around the world.

The need for small electric vehicles is already being felt in Japan, which “faces more problems involving the elderly and mobility, due to the rapidly aging population,” said Satoshi Nagashima, Managing Partner of Roland Berger Japan .

The consulting company is exhibiting a compact, remote-controlled, low-speed EV at the Tokyo Motor Show. The car is intended to shuttle passengers around the hotel and site grounds.

“Small vehicles that travel shorter distances at lower speeds are becoming a particular niche here,” Nagashima said, adding that the sector could become the next battleground for automakers and other mobility companies.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by David Dolan and Himani Sarkar)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by the auto feed.