Stellantis and Toyota expand cooperation in large commercial vehicles

According to foreign media reports, Stellantis said on May 30 that it will expand its cooperation with Toyota Motor Europe (TME) to jointly launch new large commercial vans, including electric versions.

Stellantis announced that it will supply the new car to TME, which is owned by Japanese automaker Toyota, and sell it in Europe under the Toyota brand.The vans will be produced at Stellantis' plants in Gliwice, Poland, and Atessa, Italy."The new large commercial van, scheduled for mid-2024, marks the first time TME will enter the large commercial vehicle segment," Stellantis said in a statement.

The partnership between Stellantis and TME began in 2012, when Stellantis' plant in Hordain, France, was responsible for the production of Toyota Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs).In 2019, Stellantis' plant in Vigo, Spain, began producing the compact LCV for Toyota.Through this cooperation in the field of large commercial vehicles, the two parties have deepened their cooperation, enabling Toyota to obtain a complete LCV product lineup in Europe, while optimizing the development and production costs of both parties.

Image credit: Stellantis

The partnership also enables the optimization of Stellantis' Atessa plant, which currently produces large vans that are being sold through brands including Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat."This partnership is an important addition as we complete the product lineup for Toyota's European customers, where Toyota previously only offered light commercial vehicles," Stellantis said.

Automakers are increasingly entering into cross-manufacturing deals to lower the cost of vans.Vans are in high demand due to the boom in package delivery, and sales of electric vans are on the rise, suitable for "last mile" delivery in central urban areas.