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In the spirit of Kyōdō, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) and Isuzu Motors South Africa have joined forces in a Black Supplier Development programme with Algoa Components Manufacturers (ACM). When the Port Elizabeth-based, black-owned supplier of fuel fillers, side impact beams and instrument panel carriers reported concerns about the future sustainability of its business, the two original equipment manufacturers (OEM) intervened. TSAM and Isuzu have partnered with Propella, a Port Elizabeth-based business hub, to offer skills transfer and mentoring support to ACM.

The mentoring process is well underway in a bid to improve ACM’s production capacity as well as its future business sustainability. TSAM and Isuzu have committed to assist ACM in the overall improvement and optimisation of product process flows, plant layout, space utilisation and the determination of material and manning standards – all in support of creating a more efficient production system.

Senior Manager of Enterprise and Supplier Development at TSAM, Kim Nisbet, says: “At TSAM, we value supplier relationship management and are proud to be working with our suppliers on a one-to-one basis to improve their performance for their benefit as well as ours. We value this opportunity to work with Isuzu in jointly developing and supporting this black supplier and it is important to both OEM’s in terms of increasing local manufactured content but more critically, it is our responsibility to ensure the sustainability of our local suppliers. We also believe that skills transfer and mentoring are essential elements in order for ACM to build its production capacity.”

Nisbet adds that in order for the local automotive industry to comply with the South African Automotive Masterplan (SAAM), local content needs to be increased from just under 40% to 60% over the next few years, and small and medium black-owned businesses must be brought into the supply chain to help the country succeed in transformation. Toyota’s strategy to support SAAM is clear and developing black-owned business suppliers is a priority.

Isuzu Motors South Africa adds that it is equally committed to broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) and embraces opportunities to accelerate the transformation of the automotive value chain. “We are fully committed to the upliftment, transformation and growth of our country’s economy. We should always remember that an economy cannot grow by excluding people and that an economy which is not growing, cannot integrate all of its citizens in a meaningful way. It is thus vital that Original Equipment Manufacturers are actively supporting the long-term sustainability of the automotive supply chain,” says Gregory Wood, General Manager of Purchasing at Isuzu.

“We are confident that the collaboration will yield meaningful process improvements thereby improving on ACM’s high quality standards and driving further cost efficiencies. We are also proactively engaged in initiatives to help grow this supplier and to this end supported ACM to showcase their production capabilities at the Naacam Show which was held in Durban earlier this year,” concludes Wood.

During the course of the past 6 months, ACM has shown very good progress in terms of process improvement, efficiency levels and have further plans to improve. Toyota and Isuzu have committed to continue their support into 2020 and aim to conclude the Kyōdō initiative as early as the first quarter in 2020.

TOYOTA TOTAL SALES – 13 694

Passenger VEHICLES SALES – 6 727

LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES – 6 640

TOYOTA Market Share – 26.3%

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) recorded its highest sales month with a total of 13 694 vehicles sold in October – effectively claiming a 26.3% market share. The industry total of 51 978 also marked the first time that local sales went past the 50 000-mark this year.

According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), out of the total industry sales of 51 978 vehicles, an estimated 38 558 units or 74.2% represented dealer sales, 20.3% vehicle rental industry, 3.7% corporate fleets and 1.8% government sales. NAAMSA confirmed that aggregate domestic new sales reflected a marginal increase of 122 units or 0.2% from the 51 856 vehicles sold in October last year.

Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TSAM, Calvyn Hamman says: “Despite market detractors, such as shrinking disposable income as well as volatile trading conditions, the local automotive industry has shown tremendous resilience against the backdrop of an ailing economy. We understand that these are trying times for the consumer, yet we value the continued support from the local market. We are also grateful to the rental, corporate and government sales for the huge role they play in supporting the industry.”

In the TSAM stable, it was once again the evergreen Hilux that led the sales charts with a laudable total of 4 377 – recording its second best aggregate since the record-breaking 4 770 units sold in June. South Africa’s most popular people-mover Hiace sold no less than 1 738 units, thereby contributing to the total of 6 640 models sold by Toyota in the LCV category – or a 49.7% market share for TSAM.

TSAM’s sales in the passenger segment totalled a respectable 6 727 units – mostly attributable to notable performances by Corolla Quest (1 313), Yaris (1 065), Fortuner (1 018), Etios (957). Avanza (610) and RAV4 (558). On the truck front, the Hino 500-Series recorded a 21.5% market share in the Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV) segment while the 300-Series posted a 15.4% share in the Medium Commercial Vehicle (MCV) category.

“We are grateful to the entire TSAM team and dealers across the country for their continued efforts towards making Toyota a market leader, but we cannot be complacent because there is always room for improvement. Our mandate is to create customer smiles and to continue making Toyota, Lexus and Hino brands of choice for our market,” concluded Hamman.

• The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak has secured Toyota’s first drivers’ championship title in 25 years
• Tänak only the third different driver to claim the WRC drivers’ crown since 2004
• Toyota in contention to take manufacturers’ WRC title at final round at Rally Australia

With only weeks to go before the highly anticipated Rally Australia, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja have secured their first FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles after a superb outing at Rally de España over the weekend.

Tänak and Järveoja finished in second place in Spain after scoring four consecutive stage wins on Saturday before blasting through a sensational final Power Stage on Sunday that saw the pair finish 3.6 seconds ahead of the next car to take the full five bonus points.

Tänak is only the third different driver to claim the WRC drivers’ crown since 2004, while he and Järveoja are the first Estonians to ever achieve the feat. It is the fifth occasion that a Toyota driver has won the WRC drivers’ title, and the first time since Didier Auriol triumphed in 1994.

Having won six of the 12 rallies so far, Tänak arrived at the penultimate round of the season with a 28-point advantage in the championship.

Speaking after the event, Tänak said the massive pressure was a challenge to overcome but holding the trophy at the end of the race was a dream come true.

“I pushed hard and in the end it paid off. I’ve had to overcome a lot in my career, so it’s nice to finally achieve this,” Tänak said. “Thank you to the team; they have done a great job,” he said.

The second TGR Yaris WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila finished in fifth place in Spain ensuring Toyota remains in contention to take out the prized WRC manufacturers’ championship for the second year running.

Now only 18 points behind the leader, TGR needs a strong finish at the final round at Rally Australia next month to secure the championship.

TGR team principal Tommi Mäkinen said the win represented an historic achievement for the entire team and demonstrated the continuous teamwork throughout the whole season to reach this target.

“There has been a lot of pressure this weekend but what Ott did on the Power Stage, to do what he needed to get the title, was absolutely amazing,” Mäkinen said. “We have a new world champion and the second place helps us in the manufacturers’ championship as well. We will still have a chance in Australia, and we will do our maximum there,” he said.

Rally Australia is centred around Coffs Harbour on the NSW coast with plenty of challenging stages through tight forest tracks and gravel roads combined with fast and flowing sections across open countryside, providing plenty of world-class rally action.

A Message from Akio Toyoda on the team’s success:

“Dear Ott, Martin, all our friends and supporters in Estonia, and President Kaljulaid, congratulations for the first World Rally Championship titles for Drivers and Co-Drivers by Estonians! Last year in Rally Finland, I saw so many Estonian fans waving Estonian flags to cheer on Ott and Martin.

They said the flags were not a weight on their shoulders. Instead, they felt the strong support from all the fans to achieve their best. I’m glad that our Yaris WRC competed with such a strong wave of support from our Estonian friends and supporters, and we rode the wave to the championship title!

Ott and Martin, I want to celebrate together with you guys on the podium for the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers in three weeks and thank all the strong Estonian support over the years!

We must win in Australia! Let’s do it together!”

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing confirmed today that it will start the sales of GR Supra GT4*1, a race car for customer teams, starting from March 2020 to Europe. The sales area will expand to North America in August, and to Japan/Asia in October. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing intends to strengthen its focus on customer motorsport*2 in order to enable motorsport-lovers around the world to participate in races.

The GR Supra GT4 is based on the GR Supra – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s first-ever global model released earlier this year – and is developed and produced by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (“TMG”).

A three-litre in-line six cylinder engine with single twin-scroll turbocharger has been tuned to 320 kW*3 (430 hp) with a 7-speed sports automatic transmission with paddle shift and the mechanical limited slip differential driving the rear wheels. An Akrapovič exhaust system will be fitted and Ravenol will provide first-fill lubricants.

The front splitter and rear wing are made of natural fiber composite, contributing to an overall weight of 1,350 kg*3. Following the specification of the GR Supra road car, the front suspension will be MacPherson strut, and rear suspension will be multilink with KW dampers at the front and rear.

The braking system is enhanced through the use of a dedicated brake calliper for racing, six-piston front and four-piston rear, while running on Pirelli tires.

Safety will be a priority and the GR Supra GT4 will be installed with a high-strength roll cage on the lightweight steel body, and an FIA-standard racing seat with six-point harness. The interior will feature a carbon fiber instrument panel with a display and steering wheel specifically designed for GT4 competition.

The contact company for each region of the GT4 vehicle sales and customer support (including sales for spare parts and engineer support) will be the following; TMG for Europe, TRD U.S.A., INC. for North America, and TOYOTA CUSTOMIZING & DEVELOPMENT Co., Ltd. for Japan/Asia. Please contact the listed company for how to apply for purchase. The planned car price is €175,000 (excluding tax, custom fee, logistic fee, etc.).

*1 GT4 vehicles are sold to race participants and cannot be driven on public roads.

*2 Private customer teams purchase race cars from manufacturers that are modified versions of production vehicles and enter them into races.

*3 Subject to change depending on the SRO BOP (Balance of Performance).

*Late 2020 target for release in Japan*

*Mobility solution that limits environmental impact*

*New business model to popularise battery-electric vehicles*

Toyota has revealed details of a new, production-ready ultra-compact battery-electric vehicle (BEV) ahead of a planned commercial launch in Japan late next year. Development chief Akihiro Yanaka said the vehicle, which is less than 2.5 metres long and 1.3 metres wide, is a next-generation mobility solution designed to cover short distances while limiting impact on the environment.

“We want to create a mobility solution that can support Japan’s ageing society and provide freedom of movement to people at all stages of life,” Mr Yanaka said. “With the ultra-compact BEV, we are proud to offer customers a vehicle that not only allows for greater autonomy, but also requires less space, creates less noise and limits environmental impact.”

The ultra-compact, two-seater is specifically designed to meet the daily mobility needs of customers who make regular, short-distance trips such as the elderly, newly licenced drivers or business people visiting local customers.

It has a range of approximately 100km on a single charge, reaches a maximum speed of 60km/h, and features an extremely tight turning radius.

Toyota is also pairing its planned launch next year with a new business model that aims to promote the wider adoption of battery electric vehicles in general. This includes examining every step of the battery’s life, from manufacture through sale, resale or re-use, and recycling to maximise its value.

In the near term, Toyota will focus on expanded leasing initiatives designed to recapture used batteries for evaluation and re-use as appropriate in pre-owned vehicles, as service parts, or even in non-automobile applications.

Toyota is also developing peripheral services for battery electric vehicles such as recharging stations and insurance.

The vehicle will be displayed at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show along with the Toyota i-ROAD and three different “walking area” BEVs that will be available for test rides on a 1.5km path.

Toyota’s BEVs: Types & Main Features

• Ultra-compact BEV Concept Model for Business is designed for business applications that include repeated short-distance trips and parking, this model serves as a “mobile office” with three modes to support travelling, working and taking breaks.

• Walking Area BEV Standing Type can be used for patrolling, conducting security checks or carrying heavy equipment around large facilities such as airports or factories.

• Walking Area BEV Seated Type provides mobility for people who are handling large amounts of luggage, or who may have difficulty walking.

• Walking Area BEV Wheelchair-linked Type connects to manual wheelchairs by providing motorized power to them for use at large facilities and tourist locations.

• Toyota i-ROAD is a short-distance mobility solution that combines the size of a motorcycle with improved stability to support last-km urban commuting or tourism.

Specifications (based on Toyota measurements)* – See document attached.