Toyota’s first all-electric propulsion vehicle will be a lightweight compact commercial, the Proace City, which will be produced at the PSA Group plant in Vigo in a global exclusive, along with the Peugeot Rifter, the Opel Combo and the Citroën Berlingo, under the agreement reached by both companies in November of last year.
Toyota explained during the presentation of its strategy of light commercial vehicles in Rome, the Japanese brand, in collaboration with the French consortium, that it will soon incorporate electrical versions of the Proace and Proace City models. They will reach the market in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The head of Marketing and Product of Toyota Europe, Andrea Carlucci, said that the Japanese company is only present in 37% of the commercial segment with Proace and Hilux, underlining that with the arrival of Proace City the brand will achieve a coverage up to 75%.
Carlucci stressed that the restrictions on traffic in different cities due to high levels of pollution and the increase in electricity trade and last mile distribution are some of the main reasons that have prompted Toyota to launch a 100% electric version of a lightweight compact commercial.
However, Toyota will also sell the Proace City with diesel and gasoline engines, with powers ranging from 75 to 130 horses. It will also be available with five or six-speed manual gearbox and eight-ratio automatic.
The Asian brand aims to sell some 35,000 units per year of the made in Spain Proace City in the European market. The pre-sale of the internal combustion versions will begin in December of this year, while the electric variant, which has not revealed its autonomy, will arrive a year later.
K. Tovar
Source: Bolsamania
