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2014? Disappointing so far but we’ll turn it around, say Toyota

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Time 5:16 am, June 18, 2014

show-image-1TOYOTA are hoping for a brighter second half of 2014 after feeling ‘a little disappointed’ by their performances so far.

Speaking exclusively to Car Dealer, UK marketing director Chris Hayes said the imminent arrival of all-new Aygo, coupled with the upcoming launch of new Yaris, would see a turnaround in the manufacturer’s fortunes.

Toyota’s sales figures paint something of a mixed picture at the moment. The company’s market share is currently running at 3.99 per cent (SMMT, May 2014) with sales overall around eight per cent up year-on-year. Just over 42,200 Toyotas have been sold in the UK so far in 2014.


Twelve months ago however, the market share number was higher – 4.1 per cent. But whatever spin observers might put on the statistics, there’s no doubt Hayes is in confident mood.

‘The market is, of course, very challenging,’ he told us. ‘In terms of our product introduction schedule, we’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of all-new Aygo and new Yaris later in the summer. We’re looking forward to some very strong results in the second half of the year.

aa03e447-d0b2-4fd3-a819-16eedc934d88‘We are a little disappointed that we have lost a bit of our market share but we’re very confident that we’ll pick that up in the second half of 2014.


‘That process really starts with all new Aygo. We’re looking forward to training our retailers on the car, starting next week in fact.

‘We have a retailer launch event in Manchester at which we’ll take all of the sales executives and management teams of the dealerships and immerse them in the world of all-new Aygo. The second half of the year will be very different.’

Hayes was quick to pay tribute to the Toyota dealer network. He told us: ‘It’s a very well established and mature network and it consistently out-performs some of the networks of our competitors. We have a very capable dealer network.

0b058a0b-6706-4030-a142-712c02235d69‘I think that’s one of the strengths of the brand, actually, our customer-first ethos. The dealers work really well with us. We’ve got a superb relationship with them.

‘Our ethos is very much customer first, dealer second, manufacturer third. Through our governance structures with the dealers we manage our relationship very, very well.

‘It’s incredibly positive, very constructive and they’re a huge asset to the brand.’

With new Aygo about to hit UK roads, priced from just £7,995 and with a wealth of new personalisation options, what’s Hayes’s favourite feature of the car?

‘I love the dramatic X,’ he told us. ‘I think it’s great. It’s dramatic, bold, distinctive and a little bit edgy – quite unique in today’s market.’

 

 

Dave Brown's avatar

Dave, production editor on Car Dealer Magazine, is a journalist with more than 30 years' experience in the worlds of newspapers, magazines and public relations.



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