AUTONEWS

Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota announced a collaboration agreement aimed at entering the electric minivan market

Suzuki Motor Corporation (Suzuki), Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd (Daihatsu), Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) have announced a collaboration agreement to enter the battery-electric minivan market during 2023 to give one more step towards carbon neutrality.

Mini commercial vehicles reach areas where other vehicles cannot access thanks to their reduced dimensions, and are important for last-mile logistics. They have been disseminated until they represent around 60% of the total fleet of commercial vehicles in countries such as Japan, which makes them a type of vehicle that can make a substantial contribution to achieving carbon neutrality if advances in electrification allow it.

However, a major obstacle to promoting the electrification of mini-commercial vehicles is the increasing burden they place on society as a whole, both in terms of the higher cost of vehicles associated with electrification and the costs related to charging infrastructure and time itself. load - period of inactivity: the period during which vehicles and cargo are stopped.

Under these circumstances, in order to develop a battery electric minivan that meets the usage needs of professional customers, CJPT will participate in the planning, while Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota will jointly develop a battery electric propulsion system suitable for commercial mini-vehicles, combining the Suzuki and Daihatsu's expertise in manufacturing mini-vehicles with Toyota's electrification technology.

The battery-electric minivan developed by these four companies will be used by collaborating entities in social outreach projects in Fukushima Prefecture and Tokyo.

Suzuki, Daihatsu, Toyota and CJPT will continue to promote initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality in practice by offering sustainable means of transport.