• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

Chris Evans hates it, but the British public can’t get enough of the Toyota Aygo!

Dave Brown by Dave Brown
November 6, 2014
0
Home News

AygoCHRIS Evans famously hates it. But it seems as though he’s in a fairly small minority.

For the new version of the Toyota Aygo has proved such a hit in its first few weeks on sale in the UK that the biggest problem has been keeping up with demand.

In a review for The Mail on Sunday earlier this year, Radio 2 DJ Evans described the car as ‘appalling’ and, in a reference to the marketing tagline Go Fun Yourself, wrote: ‘This car doesn’t look fun, it doesn’t feel fun, it doesn’t drive fun.’

All of which must have made pretty unpleasant reading for the team at Toyota HQ. As it turned out, they needn’t have worried.

Car Dealer caught up with Matt Harrison, president and MD of Toyota GB, in Paris and he told us: ‘The car has had an incredible response. From the first moment it created a wow effect and it’s clearly very different. It’s bold and stands out.

‘It’s been a success with existing Aygo customers, where we have a lot of equity and a lot of loyalty, but it’s also been a hit with a younger, conquest audience.

‘We’ve carried a big order bank into the fourth quarter and supply is our biggest headache – getting enough cars to meet demand. That’s a nice problem to have though, frankly.’

Although it’s questionable whether many outside the motor trade will be aware, Aygo has two siblings, the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1, similar-sized cars that share many components and even the same production facility in the Czech Republic.

Harrison is confident Toyota’s offering is the most distinctive of the three.

He agreed that the first-generation Aygo bore plenty of similarities to its sister cars but added: ‘With generation two, the cars have been pulled apart significantly. We think our car is quite cool and it appeals to a much younger group of customers.

‘We laid our stall out from the first day with the new car to stand out and be a bit bolder. With Peugeot and Citroen, they have taken a bit more of an entry-level approach, saying this is the access point to our range.

‘I think Aygo has always had, dare I say it, a bit more personality and attitude than the Peugeot and Citroen derivates.’

One of the key selling points for new Aygo is the customisation options available and in Paris, this approach was taken to another level with the involvement of a trio of top French street artists who used an example of the city car to create some special works of art. Starting each day with a plain white vehicle, the threesome recruited ideas from visitors to the Toyota stand to design designs to cover its bodywork and windows.

New Aygo joined the hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Sedan and, making its world debut, the C-HR crossover concept, on the Toyota stand.

 

Previous Post

Vertu Motors announces acquisition of The Taxi Centre

Next Post

Out with the old and in with the new for Suzuki in 2015

Related Posts

BMW M posts record sales for 2020 despite ongoing challenges from coronavirus
News

BMW M posts record sales for 2020 despite ongoing challenges from coronavirus

January 12, 2021
Less demand at home and abroad sees car production drop by nearly a fifth
News

Car dealers blast manufacturers for continuing to impose sales targets during lockdown 3 as ‘morally wrong’

January 12, 2021
Ben launches ‘Breakout for Ben’ industry challenge to raise £1m
News

Ben launches ‘Breakout for Ben’ industry challenge to raise £1m

January 12, 2021
CarGurus and Pistonheads combine into one product to increase audience reach
News

CarGurus and Pistonheads combine into one product to increase audience reach

January 12, 2021
News

Auto Trader’s Rebecca Clark wins top gong in Automotive 30% Club’s most inspiring women of the year awards

January 12, 2021
Carwow enjoys healthy car sales in June – despite nationwide drop
News

Car dealers are ready for action in spite of lockdown, survey reveals

January 12, 2021

Want to receive the latest news?

Sign up to the Car Dealer daily news briefing for the latest news and advice during these unprecedented times.

Subscribe Now
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

December 21, 2020
Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs
News

Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs

January 6, 2021
Investigation: Should car dealers be selling and delivering during lockdown?
News

What do we know about online used car dealer Cazoo? Who is Alex Chesterman? And will Cazoo float on the stock market?

January 5, 2021
Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice
News

Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice

January 5, 2021
Used car dealer Cazoo accused of online-only U-turn as it sets up physical sites and closes Imperial dealerships
News

Comment: Why Cazoo founder was naive to label this used car sales business as ‘flawed at every level’

December 1, 2020
Car Dealer Power

Car Manufacturer of the Year – Where did your manufacturer rank in Car Dealer Power 2020?

November 23, 2020
Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes
Car Dealer Live

Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes

November 28, 2020
Car Dealer Power

The best car dealer suppliers named in the Car Dealer Power Awards 2020

November 26, 2020
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server C