Toyota stenthens electric line-up with Proace City Electric

While the current problems that are being experienced by many manufacturers have left the overall van market down across many segments, Toyota Professional is seeing real demand for its growing range of vans and pick-ups. Hilux volumes were up by 65.8% in the year to the end of November, while midweight van sales were up by 10.4%.

Unsurprisingly the firm’s small van sales saw the biggest growth, as it only entered the market in the last year with Proace City. However, that range of diesel models has now been joined by Toyota’s second electric van, the Proace City Electric. Based of course on the Stellantis light van and already available as a Combo-E, E-Berlingo and E-Partner, the Proace City Electric joins a rapidly growing sector of the market, with interest in e-LCVs for urban use becoming an increasingly popular option for many. In the year to the end of November, alternatively fuelled LCVs accounted for 4.52% of the market, up from just 1.8% last year. As with the Stellantis vans, the Proace City Electric is offered in two lengths, with a single roof height. This

provides load volumes of 3.3-4.4m3 and payloads of up to 800kg. The vans can also tow a 750kg trailer. All of the Toyota models come with the Smart Cargo system, with fold-flat outer passenger seat and load-through hatch in the bulkhead to extend the maximum load length.

Toyota is offering the van in its Icon trim level only initially. That means steel wheels, an 8” touchscreen display, Apple and Android integration, front and rear parking sensors with a rear-facing camera, auto wipers and lights, manual air conditioning and cruise control. The only real options are colour and a choice of 7kW or 11kW on-board charger, though with a cost of just £150 it seems unlikely that many buyers will opt for the lower-powered charger.

Talking of which, the standard 50kWh battery will take around 7.1 hours to recharge with a Type 2 wallbox, or 4.5 hours if you have an 11kW three-phase supply. The van can also be plugged into a rapid CCS2 charger, delivering up to 100kW, where it will take just 30 minutes to provide an 80% top-up. The full battery range is a WLTP-certified 168 miles, which should be more than enough for the majority of urban users, though that can easily be extended if you have access to that rapid charger during a lunch break.

The City Electric has much the same interior and dash as the larger Proace Electric, with the toggle switch for Power, Normal and Eco driving modes and the B button for maximum battery regeneration. It also comes with an electric parking brake, providing as much room as possible for the occasional second passenger’s legs.

Pricing starts at £27,588 CV OTR, for an L1 van with the 7kW on-board charger. This rises to £28,338 CV OTR for the L2 van with the 11kW on-board unit. All models are eligible for the government’s Plug-in Van Grant of £3,000. The vans come as standard with a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty. However, keep having the vehicle serviced at a Toyota dealer and that can be extended up to 10 years/100,000 miles through the Toyota Relax warranty scheme, providing additional reassurance, even for second owners. The battery comes as standard with an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.

With that initial price in mind, Toyota Professional LCV manager Gareth Matthews believes that buyers will opt for an ownership period of up to five years, to offset the additional purchase cost. However, where customers are working in the London ULEZ and other chargeable emissions zones, that payback could be more rapidly reduced.

Electric vans, indeed all types of light commercial, are proving equally popular with Toyota Professional’s dealers. Just a few years ago, Toyota had 24 LCV specialist dealers in the UK, spread among its wider dealer network. There are now more than 130 Toyota Professional dealers and

by next year, Matthews expects that to rise to 145, all selling and servicing vans and pick-ups. It is this dealer body, along with the extended warranty terms, that he believes is winning Toyota sales against other manufacturers, even those selling basically the same van with a different badge.

“I would say this, but the Toyota customer experience really does count for a lot,” he said.

Those dealers have a rapidly growing range of vehicles on offer too, with Proace and Proace City now offered in both diesel and electric models, Hilux pick-ups with two power options and the Land Cruiser Commercial 4x4.

These will be joined next year by the Corolla Commercial, which will be launched in January with production starting at the Burneston plant near Derby, in May. First shown at the CV Show earlier in 2021, the Corolla Commercial has been built specifically for the UK market, with a specification that is not available in the car range. Matthews reports plenty of interest for the estate car-based commercial, as its hybrid driveline provides an alternative to diesel for many customers, without the full leap to an electric van.

As with all manufacturers, lead times are being stretched on some models, with Hilux in particular in such strong demand that it is forcing deliveries well into the year. However, Matthews says that he has secured additional supply for the UK market in 2022 and expects lead times to start to steady as the year goes on. He is also confident of further growth in sales volumes and market shares for Toyota Professional, which with such a strong line-up seems perfectly reasonable.