Toyota is taking a fresh approach with the completely redesigned Prius rental program in Japan. The automaker will give customers the option to get 10% lower monthly lease payments and all they have to do is opt in to a new service offered by the company.
This service will update the safety features of the hybrid vehicle and marks the first time that Toyota has offered over-the-air software updates for a model. This decision tries to promote the new technology and also tries to reduce rental prices and preserve used car prices in Japan. Toyota’s rental division in the country, KINTO, confirmed the new program earlier this week.
9 Pictures
OTA updates are nothing new in the automotive industry. Tesla pioneered the technology and several manufacturers followed suit, including Polestar, Volkswagen, Ford, BMW and others. Toyota is now taking the first steps and they will focus on the vehicle’s safety systems, including the collision avoidance system and other features.
“Tesla’s customers are, to put it simply, high-income people, and many of them are willing to pay for new and good things, which is why their products are a hit with this segment of the market. “, said Shinya Kotera, president of KINTO. , told Reuters in an interview. “Toyota customers aren’t like that. They’re not willing to pay extra for new technology. They’re looking for something good, reliable and inexpensive.”
Kotera also confirmed that the Prius is the first vehicle to benefit from the new lease program, but it surely won’t be the only one to do so. Toyota wants to expand the service to other vehicles and eventually make the new rental program available worldwide.
As for the new Prius, in the United States the model comes with a new 2.0-liter engine and a newly developed lithium-ion battery. The system’s output is rated at 194 horsepower (142 kilowatts), which is enough to accelerate the hybrid from 0 to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in a respectable 7.2 seconds. There’s also a plug-in hybrid variant with the same 2.0-litre engine that has 220 hp (161 kW) and sprints to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 6.6 seconds, making it faster than the new Acura Integra.
Toyota is taking a fresh approach with the completely redesigned Prius rental program in Japan. The automaker will give customers the option to get 10% lower monthly lease payments and all they have to do is opt in to a new service offered by the company.
This service will update the safety features of the hybrid vehicle and marks the first time that Toyota has offered over-the-air software updates for a model. This decision tries to promote the new technology and also tries to reduce rental prices and preserve used car prices in Japan. Toyota’s rental division in the country, KINTO, confirmed the new program earlier this week.
9 Pictures
OTA updates are nothing new in the automotive industry. Tesla pioneered the technology and several manufacturers followed suit, including Polestar, Volkswagen, Ford, BMW and others. Toyota is now taking the first steps and they will focus on the vehicle’s safety systems, including the collision avoidance system and other features.
“Tesla’s customers are, to put it simply, high-income people, and many of them are willing to pay for new and good things, which is why their products are a hit with this segment of the market. “, said Shinya Kotera, president of KINTO. , told Reuters in an interview. “Toyota customers aren’t like that. They’re not willing to pay extra for new technology. They’re looking for something good, reliable and inexpensive.”
Kotera also confirmed that the Prius is the first vehicle to benefit from the new lease program, but it surely won’t be the only one to do so. Toyota wants to expand the service to other vehicles and eventually make the new rental program available worldwide.
As for the new Prius, in the United States the model comes with a new 2.0-liter engine and a newly developed lithium-ion battery. The system’s output is rated at 194 horsepower (142 kilowatts), which is enough to accelerate the hybrid from 0 to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in a respectable 7.2 seconds. There’s also a plug-in hybrid variant with the same 2.0-litre engine that has 220 hp (161 kW) and sprints to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 6.6 seconds, making it faster than the new Acura Integra.