Mobility trial for Toyota

Toyota New Zealand has announced details of a special scheme that aims to lower tailpipe emissions by offering innovative mobility services to consumers.

The Toyota Mobility Project is being trialled in partnership with the Bowater Toyota Store in Nelson but the marque has ambitions to eventually roll-out the services to all its customers nationwide.

The initiative offers a range of vehicles to meet different needs and these are available for consumers to use through a subscription or pay-by-the-hour service.

It is the brand’s third mobility scheme, following the launch of the Toyota Hydrogen Project and Waka Aronui in Auckland this year. The project is an expansion to the car-sharing services offered by CityHop, which is Toyota owned.

Neeraj Lala, chief executive, says the company has a vision of providing affordable and accessible mobility for all that may not solely focus on ownership.

“We have been passionate about exploring multiple ways to decarbonise our mobility eco-system for the past decade and this includes through innovative mobility-as-a-service projects,” he explains.

“In society, we are moving towards a world where access to mobility will be equally valuable as ownership. In this just transition, Toyota is focused on offering all low-emission solutions, and a range of innovative mobility services.

“We believe multiple mobility solutions and technologies will be needed to decarbonise the transport sector, as there are no silver bullets in this tough journey ahead.”

Lala adds Toyota’s latest scheme aims to offer access to expensive low-emissions vehicles for all and showcases the potential for a future with less car ownership, less congestion, more flexible mobility and fewer carbon emissions.

The Toyota Mobility Project trial in Nelson currently has eight vehicles available for general use. These are a Raize hybrid, Yaris hybrid, Yaris Cross hybrid, CH-R hybrid, RAV4 hybrid, Highlander hybrid, Hilux and a Lexus UX300e. 

Three other vehicles in the trial – the GR Yaris, GR Supra and Landcruiser 300 – require pre-approval.

Subscription and pay-by-the-hour options are available through an app. For example, if a customer has a $500 subscription pack this provides 46.66 hours with a Raize hybrid, which equates to just over $10 per hour. Choosing pay-by-the-hour, prices for the same vehicle start at $15 per hour.

Toyota notes that as digital platforms advance, customer access to vehicles will be improved.

Tony Bowater, chief executive of Bowater Toyota, says his company is excited about having the trial take place in Nelson.

“It gives our customers and the wider Nelson community an opportunity to try a different way of being mobile or utilise a vehicle that they need but don’t currently have access to,” he adds. 

“We have already seen people utilise the fleet for a variety of reasons such as towing on the weekend which is a great way to use this service.”