Toyota is reporting “strong interest” from fleet customers for the electric bZ4X, with orders made now expected to be delivered in October.
The bZ4x SUV is Toyota’s first purpose-built electric car. The front-wheel drive Pure model can achieve 317 miles, according to the WLTP test, while the all-wheel drive bZ4X Motion has an official range of 285 miles.
Speaking to Fleet News at Company Car in Action (CCIA), Stuart Ferma, who recently left his role of general manager, fleet operations, to become director, operational excellence, at Kinto UK, said: “There has been strong interest from our fleet customers with the introduction of our first fully electric passenger vehicle and our current emphasis is providing demonstrators.
“We would like customers to experience for themselves first-hand the real-world driving experience which will assist driving demand.”
The Toyota bZX4 is the first of 30 new electric vehicles (EVs) that Toyota and Lexus will launch by 2030.
When asked about lead times for the new fully electric SUV, Ferma said: “This can be dependent on grade and colour but for the majority of grades we have available, if you were to order one today then you should be expecting delivery time in October.”
In terms of sales, Corolla currently has the biggest attraction to fleets in Toyota’s range, it is available in hatchback and touring sports versions and is built in the UK.
Ferma said: “Another facet to this model available from this year, is the addition of the new Corolla Commercial, this provides a great opportunity to promote and maximise this new model with existing and new fleet customers.
“If we look at last year, our next most popular car fleet models were C-HR and RAV4, outside of our commercial vehicle range and for Lexus New NX, UX and ES.”
In terms, of the new Lexus RX, Ferma added: “We are currently working on launching the new RX in quarter one 2023 and are expecting a similar level of take-up among business users.
“In calendar year 2021, RX fleet sales represented approximately 35% of total Lexus RX sales.”
Toyota says that, as with the rest of the industry, lead times are not where it would like them to be and its focus right now is ensuring weekly updates to our retailer networks.
“Information is key,” said Ferma, “and it is vital our customers have the very latest information regularly available.
“We are working very hard to improve logistics for our customers. We have advantages in that our leading fleet vehicle, Corolla, is manufactured here in the UK. Other core models are European build and this includes C-HR, Yaris and Aygo.”
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Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist having started his career in local newspapers in the 1990s. Prior to joining Fleet News in 2008, he worked in the public sector as a media advisor and is currently news editor at Fleet News.
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