Toyota and Lexus are to merge certain parts of their fleet teams from the beginning of next month as part of a drive to make savings and create ‘synergies’.

The move, outlined at a recent Lexus dealer conference, will see the two companies share back office functions such as fleet support, as well as streamlining the sales process. The companies already share certain functions across the brands, such as the public relations department.



The aim is to have one point of contact for fleets, rather than receiving two visits – one from a Toyota representative and one from Lexus.

A spokesman said: “There are natural synergies between the two departments and this will bring us more into line with the Toyota Motor Europe set-up.

“The main benefits for Lexus are access to the Toyota customer database and support, and a significant fleet structure already in place covering the UK.”

National corporate sales and remarketing manager Andy Simpson will remain in charge of Lexus corporate sales, while Richard Balshaw continues as general manager of Toyota Fleet.

The move also means the two companies can work together and better respond to any fleets wishing to introduce a hybrid-only fleet – helped by news that the new RX450h SUV will have CO2 emissions of just 148g/km when it goes on sale in the summer.

Lexus has also re-engineered its core IS220d model to reduce emissions down from 163 to 148g/km – putting the model in a more attractive light for when the new writing down allowance rules come into effect next month.