Toyota reveals plans for growth in Europe

By 2025, Toyota plans to meet about 70 per cent of its European sales with full hybrid cars, ten per cent with plug-in hybrids and another ten per cent with battery and fuel cell cars.

The plan is to introduce 40 new or updated electrified Toyota models by 2025. Overall, Toyota aims to increase sales in Europe by 30 per cent to 1.4 million vehicles annually by 2025. Last year the figure was 1.09 million Toyotas and Lexus. The market share is to grow from the current 5.3 to 6.5 per cent. As the “Europe” sales region the Japanese car manufacturer also includes Russia and Turkey.

The Japanese manufacturer is placing great hope in a new compact SUV, which will be presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will go on sale twelve months later. The new model will be positioned below the C-HR, will be built together with the new generation Yaris at Toyota’s plant in Valenciennes, France, and will inherit the Yaris’ hybrid drive. However, it remains to be seen whether the SUV, like the Yaris, will also be offered with combustion engines or – similar to the Prius – will only be available on the market as a hybrid.

“You will see that this is not just a Yaris with body cladding and raised suspension, but an entirely new and distinctive B-SUV model with a compact, dynamic design and personality of its own,” says Matt Harrison, Sales and Marketing Director of Toyota Europe. “This model will add to the success of Yaris in Europe and together, we expect these vehicles will account for around thirty per cent of the Toyota sales volume in Europe by 2025”.

Expressed in absolute figures: Toyota expects to sell more than 100,000 units of the new compact SUV per year. “The fact that it is built locally indicates a high volume,” Harrison said.

No other new models have been announced for the time being. Currently, Toyota offers the small car Yaris, three versions of the Corolla (compact, sedan and station wagon), the Camry, the Prius, Prius+ and the SUV models C-HR and RAV4 as a hybrid in Europe. The plug-in hybrid version of the Prius and the Mirai are also available as FCEVs. At the beginning of 2018, the carmaker announced a major investment in the French plant in order to be able to build vehicles based on the TNGA platform there as well.

autonews.com, toyota.eu (compact SUV)