The Toyota FT-AC Concept could potentially be part of the newly formed mobility company.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to merge two of its wholly owned subsidiaries, Toyota Fleet Leasing Co. Ltd and Toyota Tokyo Rental & Leasing Co., Ltd into a new entity, Toyota Mobility Service Co. in Japan, starting April 1, 2018.
In addition to aiming to strengthen the existing corporate automobile leasing and rental car businesses, Toyota intends to plan and provide new mobility services in anticipation of the increasing demand for mobility services.
In its announcement, Toyota was aware of customers’ diversifying needs, which not only includes conventional vehicle ownership, but also the growing need for shared utilization via as car sharing, in which people use things only whenever the service is needed.
Ultimately, Toyota’s goal is to become “the leading company of a mobility society” by developing and offering mobility services geared for a connected society. It is important not only to respond to changing needs but also to provide value-added services that uncover potential needs, the company added in a statement issued this week.
(Toyota to launch at least 10 EVs by 2020. Click Here for the story.)
“Many corporations operating across Japan are based in Tokyo, where the earliest expansion of the mobility service society is expected to occur,” the announcement said.
“Consequently, Toyota plans to establish the new company there in order to quickly and flexibly respond to changing uses and needs for cars in this once-in-a-century revolutionary period in the automobile industry.”
(Click Here to see why Toyota expects electrified vehicles will make up half of sales by 2030.)
The new company will work with Toyota, as well as with Toyota Group vehicle manufacturing companies including Toyota Connected, Toyota Finance Corp. in finance, and Toyota Usec in the used car business, mobilizing the combined strength of each company to meet a wide range of customer needs.
The initiatives planned by Toyota Mobility Service Co., Ltd include: collaborating with Toyota’s in-house companies and Toyota Group vehicle manufacturers, gathering the needs of corporate customers, and promoting the making of ever-better cars by providing feedback for products and building maintenance network in cooperation with Toyota dealers.
(Toyota set to reveal electrification strategy at 2018 Detroit Auto Show. For the story, Click Here.)
It will also search for tie-ups with external companies with high levels of expertise already operate in the automobile leasing and sharing fields to provide attractive services toward a future mobility society. The idea is to mobilize the combined strengths of each company to meet a wide range of customer needs. In the future, Toyota aims to become the leading company of a mobility society by developing and offering appropriate services.