Toyota NZ’s drive towards holistic market leadership

Toyota New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Neeraj Lala. Photo: Toyota NZ

Toyota New Zealand has announced that its sights remain set on market leadership, not only in new vehicle sales but also in reduction of CO2 across its fleet and meeting the mobility needs of Kiwis.

Toyota New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Neeraj Lala, said they take their responsibility as the market leader seriously.

“Our responsibility as market leader extends beyond selling cars,” said Lala. 

“It extends to sustainability, meeting the mobility needs of Kiwis to help them move freely, and contributing to the communities we operate in.

“This moves beyond just introducing low emission products, it is also the journey towards mobility and car-sharing technologies, development of the hydrogen economy, and contributing technological innovation to alternative sectors such as the flourishing marine industry through our long-standing relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand.

“We are not being complacent on our bid for market leadership for a 35th consecutive year as we start to see our vehicle production return amidst global supply chain disruption,” said Lala.

“However, it is equally as important for Toyota’s business continuity that we continue to electrify our fleet and ensure that our carbon footprint for new vehicle sales is on a downward trajectory to meet our emissions objective.”

Toyota New Zealand sold 3156 new vehicles in the month of May, with an electrification mix of 34 percent. Year-to-date their CO2 emissions for new vehicle sales sit at 162 g/km.

“It is telling that one of our top-selling vehicles was the hybrid electric RAV4. We have seen an ever-increasing move to hybrid versions of our vehicles, as customers are able to now receive a Clean Car Discount for them,” said Lala.

The Toyota RAV4 was the second bestselling vehicle for Toyota for May with 925 units sold, with a 46 percent hybrid electric mix. This top-selling vehicle was Hilux with 937 sales, and the third was Corolla with 307 sales.

“Our goal has always been depth and breadth of our range as we continue to move forward on our electrification journey, to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our Kiwi customers.”

Lexus as a standalone brand for May had an 84 percent electrification of sales and an average of 102g of CO2 per kilometre.  

Toyota’s used vehicle wholesales have also seen a large shift to electrification, with 45 percent hybrid electric vehicles in May and 43% hybrid electric vehicles year-to-date.

“The transition to electrification has to be affordable, accessible, and safe for all Kiwis and this has always been our company’s goal,” said Lala. 

“We are forging partnerships with both the government and not-for-profit groups to ensure we navigate this just transition on our journey to achieving net-zero by 2050.”

“I acknowledge that some of our customers have been waiting a long time for their vehicles, and I do apologise for the delays. I remain highly optimistic that with our loyal customers we will deliver a record number of sales this year.”