Toyota shared a new Upgrade Service plan, which has potential to be game-changing if taken to the extreme.
There’s a lot of talk these days about what’s the right approach to doing right by our planet. The industry seems to think that pushing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is the best way forward, but the industry is only saying that because it’s probably the most profitable way forward. Think about it – BEVs are not cheap to make and probably never will be due to the cost of batteries. And if the plan is to replace every internal combustion engine out there with a BEV, then of course the entire industry is excited. That’s millions of potential new cars on the road for years and years to come.
However, I do not think that putting more new cars on the road is the best way forward, even if all those cars are zero emissions vehicles. I honestly believe that creating cars that last for a longer duration of time is better for the environment. Think about it. If you bought a vehicle today that had decent fuel economy, a system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, decent safety systems and you were happy with the vehicle’s overall performance, wouldn’t it just be better for the planet to have that one vehicle run at relatively optimum performance for the next 20+ years rather than replacing your vehicle every 5-8 years as is quickly becoming the industry’s expectation?
We recently came across an article on Toyota’s newsroom that seemed to hint at this prospect, but missed the mark by quite a wide margin. The Toyota news piece was about an ‘Upgrade Service’ for the Prius U Grade on the Kinto subscription service. In this case, Toyota were essentially allowing those subscribing to the Prius U a chance to retrofit new equipment to their vehicles for a small fee rather than taking a new vehicle with those features. The ‘Upgrade Ready Design’ features available include Advanced Park, a Blind Spot Monitor, Panoramic View Monitor, Parking Support Brake (rear pedestrian detection), and Steering Wheel Heater. Further upgrades are planned, including a larger infotainment display, heated seats, seat ventilation, and synthetic leather seats.
This is a neat idea, but think about the potential it could have in the future if Toyota and other car makers start designing cars that were Upgrade Ready in more ways. Imagine if more models today could be taken back into the authorised service centre for a parts upgrade halfway through the lifecycle. Imagine if all brands provided a seat and upholstery refresh service for all models sold regardless of age. Or a full suspension and rubber parts refurbishment programme at 10 years of age that can be bundled into a subscription or hire purchase payment.
I think that would certainly give current vehicle owners a better long-term experience with their vehicle of choice and it would open a new revenue stream for the service centres and car brands as well.
