Alain Uyttenhoven, Toyota Motor Europe’s head of product planning and marketing, has another string to his bow. Since the spring he has also been in charge of what Toyota calls ‘new management direction.’ Something has probably been lost in the translation.
It is, he explains, “change management” – or working out Europe’s role in how Toyota will devolve from a highly-centralised company to a regional base.
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For Europe, it means becoming the global centre of excellence for A, B and C segment cars. “The US will have its mission and Japan will have its,” he says.
But while model development will be decentralised, key technologies will stay central – it wouldn’t make sense, for example, to have different platforms developed in different regions.
“You need to do that once for the world but then the upper body, the ride and the handling can be developed regionally.”
This isn’t something that will happen overnight. The timetable for this particular change extends to 2020.
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By GlobalDataAnd it’s not just about product development. The brief extends to opening Toyota to more alliances like the small car one with PSA in the Czech Republic. This, says Uyttenhoven, has been very successful. “We need to reorganise and understand what it means for us,” he says.
Ford is a good example of how Europe has taken the lead on developing B and C (Fiesta and Focus) cars for the world. But he also thinks that premium manufacturers will have to look more closely at selling in these segments.
“BMW has done it very well with the Mini and you will see more premium models in the B sector,” he says.
This is partly because more buyers, the third life customers with no children or mortgage to worry about, will demand more premium content. “The feedback is that, for example, they really like our rear camera in the Yaris,” he notes. Older drivers are less mobile so appreciate not having to twist when reversing.
The B and C segments will fragment even more than they are today with more crossover models – and more and more technology being added.
But Toyota will be able to claim at least one first in the B sector: a full hybrid. The Yaris hybrid will be launched next year.
Toyota’s commitment to hybrids doesn’t mean the company is ignoring other developments. “Petrol and diesel still have a lot of development potential,” he says. As do hybrids with engines getting smaller as batteries get bigger when cost allows.
Then comes fuel cells. Pure electric vehicles – which just “export exhausts elsewhere” – and GM-style range-extender technology aren’t high on Toyota’s list of priorities. “We’re watching range-extending very closely but we don’t think it’s an optimal use of natural resources,” says Uyttenhoven.
