Toyota and Stellantis are set to build a rival to Ford’s upcoming Transit E-Custom, with the two companies announcing they are working together to develop a large commercial van with an 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 Australian market, even if the new Labor government enacts climate change regulations similar to New Zealand’s ‘Clean Car’ measures.
While fully electric Toyota vans are most likely years away from being spotted in local showrooms, in Europe they’re already on sale. The brand’s 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 Australian 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.
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