Stellantis and Toyota plan joint electric transporter

Car and vehicle manufacturers Stellantis and Toyota have announced the expansion of their existing partnership.

They said this will be complemented by an agreement for a new large van, including an electric version. The new vehicle is the third body type under the collaboration and completes a full LCV range of compact, medium and now large light commercial vehicles.

Stellantis will supply Toyota with the new large van, which will be sold in Europe under the Toyota brand. The new vehicle is to be produced at Stellantis' plants in Gliwice, Poland, and Atessa, Italy. Scheduled for mid-2024, the new large van marks Toyota's entry into the large light commercial vehicle segment.

"This expanded agreement is, by definition, a demonstration of Operational Excellence," says Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. "With this third successful engagement, Stellantis demonstrates its expertise in the commercial vehicle segment and in the development of battery technologies designed to meet a whole range of needs. This agreement reinforces our leadership position in the EU30 light commercial and low emission vehicle market. It also brings us one step closer to our 'Dare Forward 2030' goal of becoming the undisputed global leader in light commercial vehicles in terms of technology, manufacturing, market share and profitability."

Stellantis' collaboration with Toyota began in 2012 with Toyota's mid-size van, which is produced at Stellantis' Hordain plant in France. This was joined in 2019 by an addition to the compact LCV segment, manufactured at the Stellantis plant in Vigo, Spain. The current announcement of large LCV deepens the existing collaboration. It also enables Toyota to offer a full LCV portfolio in Europe, while both companies can benefit from optimising development and production costs.

"We are pleased to be able to extend this successful partnership by introducing a new LCV. This is an important addition and completes our light commercial vehicle offering for Toyota's European customers. The new LCV, alongside the Hilux pick-up and Proace and Proace City models, will be an important contribution to Toyota's growth targets across the LCV range, enabling Toyota to offer a mobility solution across all segments of the LCV market," emphasises Matt Harrison, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe.