The plug-in commercial space is set to gain a new competitor, with Toyota and Stellantis confirming that they will be developing a new large van together with an available fully electric powertrain.
The van will be developed in partnership with Toyota Motor Europe (TME). According to reports, it will be sold in Europe with a Toyota badge, but will be built by Stellantis at factories in Poland and Italy.
“Planned for mid-2024, the new large-size commercial van marks TME’s first entry into the large-size commercial vehicle segment,” Stellantis said in a statement.
“It represents an important addition and completes our light commercial line-up for Toyota’s European customers.”
Being a Toyota Motor Europe project means the plug-in van may not be a starter for the New Zealand market, even with the lure of local government’s Clean Car measures.
Speaking to FleetTalk, Toyota New Zealand general manager of product planning and new vehicles Steve Pragnell would not share local information about what is in the pipeline, but stressed that the brand would be interested in adding a plug-in van to its Kiwi line-up.
“Due to the commercially sensitive nature of future product plans, we are unable to share any local information at this stage. However, if we were offered an electric version of a van for the local market, we would consider it as part of our product planning for the future,” Pragnell said.
While fully electric Toyota vans are most likely years away from being spotted in Kiwi showrooms, in Europe they’re already on sale. The brand’s compact Proace City and mid-size Proace Electric and Proace Verso Electric were launched to the region last year.
The two models come with a 50kWh battery, with a claimed range of between 222km and 196km per charge.
It seems likely that Kiwi buyers wanting an electric Toyota van will likely have to wait until the Japan and Thailand-built Hiace gets an electrified powertrain.
According to a report published by Japanese motoring outlet Spyder7 last year, a plug-in hybrid petrol Hiace is scheduled to debut in 2023. It reported at the time that the Hiace PHEV would pair a hybrid system with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
The speculative report didn’t reveal any further details about the model’s mechanicals. But, if it were to come to fruition, a Hiace PHEV unveiling could unfold later this year.
