Globally Toyota has remained committed to developing all forms of automotive propulsion from traditional combustion through hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, fuel cell and hydrogen – and South African motorists get a big taste of the new energy push this year.At its recent State of the Motor Industry conference (in-depth details in the March issue of ALL THINGS MOTORING magazine) Toyota Motors SA revealed a mouthwatering spread of new product – and confirmed some examples of the GR GT will come to South Africa.
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On the product front, Toyota SA confirmed an expanded New Energy Vehicle line-up that includes the bZ4X battery electric vehicle — its first pure EV for the local market — along with the RAV4 hybrid and plug-in hybrid, the Corolla Cross GR-S hybrid and the Land Cruiser 300 with mild hybrid technology. Lexus will add the RZ and RZ 600e battery electric models.
Arguably its most detailed new vehicle offensive in recent memory, the product push comes on the back of a successful 2025 for the company. Sales and Marketing Senior Vice President, Leon Theron, said the company’s ability to hold its position in a more crowded field came down to several operational shifts.
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These included bringing in Indian-built models, broadening the passenger car range, lowering entry-level price points and sticking with its multi-pathway technology strategy. That approach — which spreads investment across hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen — remains central to how Toyota plans to serve different customer needs rather than betting on a single fuel type.
“In 2025 we remained unwavering in our mission of mobility for all,” Theron said. “Our resilience is evidenced in our domestic market performance. Despite new entrants and intensified competition, we maintained our market share and grew our volumes. We welcomed competition — and we remained resilient.”
Toyota SA sold 148 124 new vehicles last year, giving it a 24,8% share of the local market and extending its run as the country’s top seller to 46 consecutive years. Segment performances included 33% in light commercial vehicles, 20% in small cars, and 61% in SUVs. Hino finished the year in third place with 13% of its segment.
Lexus posted its highest ever premium market share at 3,5%, overtaking its previous peak in 2007. The gain was driven in part by record sales of New Energy Vehicles, with the GX model accounting for 347 of the brand’s 1 113 total units.
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Theron also detailed how Toyota’s global brand structure, first outlined at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, will take shape locally. The Toyota brand stays at the centre of the group’s strategy, with the super-luxury Century brand set to operate as a standalone entity for the first time and Daihatsu continuing to focus on affordable, small-displacement vehicles. In South Africa the emphasis will remain on Toyota, Lexus and Gazoo Racing — the latter now positioned as a separate brand identity rather than a performance sub-division.
“Our ability to adapt has kept us relevant,” Theron says. “The challenges we have faced have strengthened our competitiveness — and will continue to do so in the years ahead.”
These introductions form part of a wider set of energy and mobility projects Toyota is involved in locally, grouped under three pillars: electric vehicle ecosystem development, carbon-neutral fuels and the circular economy.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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