The three kei vans will be launched within the next 12 months.
The previously existing Toyota Pixis Van and Daihatsu Hijet already shared a platform through the two brands’ partnership.
The Suzuki Every (also called the Suzuki Carry Van) joining the platform is a new development.
The three kei vans will be launched within the next 12 months.
The previously existing Toyota Pixis Van and Daihatsu Hijet already shared a platform through the two brands’ partnership.
The Suzuki Every (also called the Suzuki Carry Van) joining the platform is a new development.
In a move that’ll make inner-city van fans in Australia a little jealous, Toyota, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced a joint development of a trio of “mini-commercial van electric vehicles”.
The three vans are set to be launched before the end of the current Japanese fiscal year, which goes until next March, with each of the three brands taking on the last stages of development for each van after the co-developed platform is complete.
The Toyota version is named the Pixis Van, the Suzuki is the Every kei van, and the Daihatsu takes its name from the Hijet Cargo, all three previously existing badge names for the brands.
The previously existing Toyota Pixis Van and Daihatsu Hijet already shared a platform through the two brands’ partnership – which came about with Toyota’s ownership of the Daihatsu brand – but the Suzuki Every (also called the Suzuki Carry Van) joining the platform is a new development.
The press release from Toyota says the development relied on “combining Suzuki and Daihatsu’s expertise in creating small-size cars with Toyota’s electrification technology”.
Toyota claims the van’s platform will allow an electric driving range of 200km but needs to meet customers expectations before it can be launched to market.
It’s not the first time the three brands have been seen to collaborate, with reports in February this year pointing to a sports car in development from the trio – a kei car sized mid-engine project that, like the electric van, is unlikely to make its way to Australia.
Keyword: Load up on adorable! Toyota, Suzuki and Daihatsu reveal trio of electric vans for urban deliveries - who needs a Ford Transit!