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Gareth Matthews, Toyota LCV manager
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Show highlights that Toyota has the right model for your needs
Toyota’s LCV manager Gareth Matthews was understandably pleased by how well his company’s stand had gone down at the CV Show, as he explained to Andrew Walker
CC&V: You took a stand at the recent CV Show. How was this year’s event and do you feel that Toyota benefitted from being there?
Gareth Matthews: This year’s show was excellent. For the first time we displayed our entire CV range encompassing Proace, Proace City, Hilux, Corolla Commercial and Land Cruiser Commercial at the CV Show.
Visitors were able to see for themselves just how big our commercial range is and our ability to offer the right drivetrain for the right customer use, from diesel to self-charging hybrid, and battery electric.
CC&V: The new Corolla Commercial has just landed. Where do you see the new commercial fitting into the market and what are your expectations, volume wise, for this new model?
GM: We know that EVs won’t work for every operator, so the Corolla Commercial range fills that space. For example, businesses who currently have no in-house EV charging infrastructure, don’t have a local charging point or who can’t charge at home overnight, need a commercial vehicle that will work in spite of this, and the Corolla
Commercial is one solution. As for sales volumes, we expect interest to be high and to be able to meet the targets we’ve set, which are reasonable.
CC&V: Electric is still the talk of the town. How have the Proace Electric and Proace City Electric been received by the customers in the van sector?
GM: Both have proved incredibly popular, especially with larger fleets, many of whom have invested in work location EV chargers and have fitted home chargers for employees. Both Proace Electric and Proace City Electric are really coming into their own.
CC&V: Your Hilux pick-up is iconic, but with several manufacturers ceasing pick-up production, will Toyota continue to produce a pick-up for the foreseeable future?
GM: Yes. While the pick-up sector has less choice, pick-up demand is still high, which is why our Hilux pick-up is still selling well across all sectors.
“We know that EVs won’t work for every operator, so the Corolla Commercial range fills that space...”
CC&V: We ran a conversions feature in our last issue. What kind of conversions does Toyota offer with Hilux and the Proace vans and is this an important sector for you?
Toyota Professional conversions have become increasingly popular and our range of commercial vehicles can be converted for many uses, including refrigerated vans. To support and enhance our Toyota Professional proposition, we will be launching a Special Vehicle Operations facility at our Burnaston factory, providing a one-stop shop for many commonly ordered vehicle enhancements thereby reducing time and improving quality and delivery process for our customers.
We offer a myriad of conversions options on Proace, Proace City and Hilux, and have a number of industry-renowned partners whom we work with to give customers what they want through our Authorised Converter programme.
Toyota will continue to produce the indomitable Hilux
