Interview: Takayuki Yoshitsugu — Toyota
Audio interview with Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative for Toyota Middle East & North Africa, who took over the top job at Toyota’s local office recently. Topics include local Toyota sales figures, huge growth in Lexus sales, upcoming fuel-cell production cars, the fate of the FJ Cruiser and Land Cruiser, the new Camry, and possible future sports cars in partnership with BMW, as well as an admission that their cars were boring and how they are changing that.
Comments
vivek
Good to know that the legend brand is genuinely striving to keep themselves up there!
Shijil Hashim
Interesting to hear fact and figures. Good to know Toyota as a brand is now starting to concentrate on making more emotional approach than logical. Guess as a company, they are in a comfortable position that they can start concentrating into different other aspects like exterior, interior aesthetics, features etc. Strategy for conquering Koreans perhaps? Why not?!
I’m still not quite sure how would the hybrids and fuel cell vehicles do in this region, even with infrastructure support with fuel being considerably cheap than many countries out there where people find it feasible to run these cars. However, mildly hybrid cars could do well if priced decently compared to their gasoline versions. You could easily save fuel and emissions in peak traffic hours and congestion.
Shijil Hashim
Also, looking forward to some exciting sports cars out of the BMW collaboration. Bring back those fire spitting turbocharged 80’s and 90’s days of JDM goodness!
Essa
Very interesting interview with some concrete and possibly exclusive findings but, I would have hoped to know if they are considering selling the Tundra, Highlander and 4Runner in our region. Specially the Tundra as the grey imports of the 3rd generation is also on the rise.
Reza
Toyota has Adorable SUVs in Terms of Quality and reliability but for the sake of GOD Put a two wheel Drive mode in your SUVs and the option to completely turn off driving nannys for the Boring part after All cars are driven By Adults!!
GTR
Hi,
I wonder when Toyota ME will introduce interesting models to UAE, such as: Highlander, Venza, Sienna ?
Mitch
You should have asked him how did they decide to remove VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) from the options of all V6 Land Cruiser models!?
All Prado’s and FJ’s come with VSC, even the base models, while with LC you need to get the V8 4.6 top trim to get Stability Control.
That was the only thing that stopped me from upgrading from Prado to LC this year. Toyota must learn that some of us know how to read the list of options……..and don’t just go ahead to spend 200k dhs on a car with no Stability Control.
Mufaddal
In all the hoopla of LC and FJ, I think the bread and butter Models were lost.
All New Fortuner, Innova & Hilux are coming in the first half of 2015.
Already partially covered models are doing test rounds in UAE, South Africa, India & Thailand.
Updated Diesel engines are in the offing.
Most probably Petrol Engines will be carry overs.