With three weeks remaining until the start of the 2023 Dakar Rally, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) is making preparations for its 3-vehicle team’s entry in the first round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2023 season. The team will have reigning masters, Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, with newly crowned South African Rally-Raid Champion Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy, as well as Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings.
The 2023 W2RC starts with the Dakar Rally in January, and will be followed by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge at the end of February; the Sonora Rally in Mexico during April, and the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina at the end of August. The season will draw to a close with the Rally of Morocco, again scheduled for mid-October. Al-Attiyah and Baumel will compete in all the rounds.
Isuzu Motors Limited, Hino Motors, Ltd., and Toyota Motor Corporation today announced that they will form a new partnership in commercial vehicles with the aim of accelerate societal implementation and dissemination of CASE technologies and services, and to help address various difficulties facing the transportation industry as well as help achieve a carbon-neutral society. ‘CASE’ refers to new areas of Connected vehicles, Autonomous/Automated driving, Shared, and Electric.
The three companies intend to combine Toyota’s CASE technologies with the commercial vehicle foundations cultivated by Isuzu and Hino. Specifically, they plan to jointly work on the development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), autonomous driving technologies, and electronic platforms centered on the domain of small commercial-purpose trucks.
Wide scope
While working together on BEVs and FCEVs to reduce vehicle costs, the three companies plan to advance infrastructure-coordinated societal implementation, such as by introducing FCEV trucks to hydrogen-based society demonstrations in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, and accelerate their dissemination initiatives.
In a joint press conference this afternoon, the leaders of Isuzu, Hino, and Toyota said they also plan to link their connected technology platforms to build a platform for commercial vehicles that can help solve customers’ problems. Through this platform, they intend to provide various logistics solutions that not only help improve commercial vehicle transport efficiencies but also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
To promote their partnership, Isuzu, Hino, and Toyota are establishing Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation, a company for planning CASE technologies and services for commercial vehicles based on discussions among its three parent companies.
Going forward, Isuzu, Hino, and Toyota intend to deepen their collaboration while openly considering cooperation with other like-minded partners.
Capital partnership
In conjunction with this new development, Isuzu and Toyota have agreed on a capital partnership. Through acquisition of 39 million shares of Isuzu common stock, Toyota will hold a 4.6% stake in Isuzu, while Isuzu plans to acquire Toyota shares of the same value through a market purchase.
Hino Motors a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation and one of 16 major companies of the Toyota Group. The 78-year old company originally made passenger cars as well but focussed on commercial vehicles after being acquired by Toyota in 1967.
When Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh retired at the end of last year, he said that he would like to spend his time sharing and passing on his experiences and knowledge gained in over 25 years in the auto industry. He served in various roles in UMW Toyota Motor, including establishing and heading the division which handled the Lexus premium brand. After that, he was appointed President & CEO of Perodua, leading it through a period of significant development and growth.
Now, MBM Resources Berhad (MBMR) will benefit from having Datuk Aminar to provide guidance as the new Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors. He takes over from Dato’ Abdul Rahim bin Abd Halim who has been holding the position since 2007 and is retiring from the Board as Directors.
Industry veteran with long ties to Daihatsu
Dato’ Abdul Rahim bin Abdul Halim
Dato’ Abdul Rahim too is a veteran in the auto industry and has an association with the Daihatsu brand going back to 1977 when he was in Med-Bumikar-MARA which imported the 1-litre Daihatsu Charade. He remained with the company, moving up as it evolved into the public-listed Med-Bumikar Mara Sdn. Bhd. Group of Companies (the MBM Group) in 1995.
Datuk Aminar will be involved in Perodua again in his new role as MBMR has the second largest shareholding of 20% in the Malaysian carmaker. MBMR also has a 42% share in Hino Motors (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Besides handling the Daihatsu brand via subsidiary Daihatsu (Malaysia), it is also involved in the retail business as dealer for the Volvo and Volkswagen brands.
MBMR also expanded into automotive parts manufacturing with the acquisition of wheel manufacturer, Oriental Metal Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd.; and Autoliv Hirotako Sdn. Bhd. and Hirotako Acoustics Sdn. Bhd.
MBMR is the second largest shareholder on Perodua.
Assurance of continuity in leadership
A statement from MBMR regarding the change of leadership gave assurance that, ‘despite the departure of the long-serving and experienced directors and the Chairman, the Board is committed in ensuring continuity and has made several changes in the Board composition to focus on plans and strategies to boost MBMR’s future growth. The restructuring of the committee includes the appointment of the new members in the Audit and Risk Management Committee, Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC) and Chairman of MBMR Group.’
Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HMSM) together with Yamato Transport (M) Sdn Bhd (YTM) are very much aware of the current trend of road accidents and deaths currently taking place in Malaysia.
As part of their contribution to the government’s plan to reduce these numbers by 50% in the coming years, they’ve launched their very own aptitude test and safety driver training for their customers who are currently using the entire range of Hino commercial vehicles. (more…)
