Photo: Toyota
In the first half of 2019, Toyota Motor Europe achieved a hybrid electric vehicle mix of more than 50 percent in the Old Continent. Given these results, does it come as a surprise the Proace will receive an all-electric powertrain in 2020?
The light commercial vehicle will be produced in collaboration with Groupe PSA, just like the internal combustion-engined Proace. Both the Proace and Proace City will receive this option, which goes to show that Toyota is gearing for complete electrification of the lineup to meet LCV customer demands in Europe.
“The expansion and electrification of Toyota Motor Europe’s LCV product range will be supported by new branding, Toyota Professional,” said executive vice president Matt Harrison without mentioning the existence of Fiat Professional. “It highlights Toyota’s commitment to its growing LCV customers, including dedicated network to ensure the right customer experience,” he concluded.
If you were wondering, the Proace is estimated to achieve 30,000 sales in 2019. That’s a five percent share of the medium-duty van market in Europe, a satisfying result for the Japanese automaker for the time being. As opposed to Ford and Volkswagen, Toyota still has a long way to go until it becomes one of the top players in the extremely competitive segment of light commercial vehicles.
The Proace City is the smaller of the two vans, available with lengths of 4.4 and 4.7 meters. The maximum volume for the latter model is 4.3 cubic meters when specified with the Smart Cargo option, translating to two europalettes and best-in-class load length. With the right equipment, the tow rating can level up to 1.5 tonnes (3,307 pounds).
The passenger-oriented version is called Proace City Verso, featuring the option of three individual seats or a 60:40 split-folding bench for the second row. A third row can be added, and the second row comes with Isofix child seat mounts when specified with individual seats.
No further details were released in regard to the all-electric Proace, but don’t hold your breath for something unique. After all, it’s Groupe PSA that calls the shots in terms of electrification as far as this partnership is concerned. In other words, the underpinnings will be shared with the Citroen Jumpy, Peugeot Expert, Opel Vivaro, Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, and Opel Combo.
“The expansion and electrification of Toyota Motor Europe’s LCV product range will be supported by new branding, Toyota Professional,” said executive vice president Matt Harrison without mentioning the existence of Fiat Professional. “It highlights Toyota’s commitment to its growing LCV customers, including dedicated network to ensure the right customer experience,” he concluded.
If you were wondering, the Proace is estimated to achieve 30,000 sales in 2019. That’s a five percent share of the medium-duty van market in Europe, a satisfying result for the Japanese automaker for the time being. As opposed to Ford and Volkswagen, Toyota still has a long way to go until it becomes one of the top players in the extremely competitive segment of light commercial vehicles.
The Proace City is the smaller of the two vans, available with lengths of 4.4 and 4.7 meters. The maximum volume for the latter model is 4.3 cubic meters when specified with the Smart Cargo option, translating to two europalettes and best-in-class load length. With the right equipment, the tow rating can level up to 1.5 tonnes (3,307 pounds).
The passenger-oriented version is called Proace City Verso, featuring the option of three individual seats or a 60:40 split-folding bench for the second row. A third row can be added, and the second row comes with Isofix child seat mounts when specified with individual seats.
No further details were released in regard to the all-electric Proace, but don’t hold your breath for something unique. After all, it’s Groupe PSA that calls the shots in terms of electrification as far as this partnership is concerned. In other words, the underpinnings will be shared with the Citroen Jumpy, Peugeot Expert, Opel Vivaro, Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, and Opel Combo.
Google News