Toyota has led the way in many areas of automotive technological development.
For instance, did you know that since August 2019, Toyota SA Motors (TSAM) has offered connectivity services including in-car Wi-Fi across the Toyota and Lexus ranges?
Toyota Connect is a suite of features offered to owners, housed within the My Toyota smartphone application, which was launched in 2014. The technology allows Toyota owners access to myriad convenience, connectivity and safety benefits.
At the time of introduction, TSAM was the only manufacturer in SA to offer a mobile application fully integrated with manufacturer and dealer systems. It also became the first organisation — the world over — to offer the convergence of Wi-Fi and connectivity features in one package across the model range.
Andrew Kirby, CEO of TSAM, remains proud of such a useful offering to the SA car-buying public.
“Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of how connected technologies can enhance their lives, and our task as a forward-thinking organisation is to evolve in tandem with market expectations,” he says.
“The importance of telematics and telecommunications in tomorrow’s vehicles cannot be overstated.”
Toyota Connect was made possible by way of a partnership with Altron, a subsidiary of Netstar and Vodacom Business. Altron jointly designed and developed the bespoke technology platform with Toyota.
Benefits galore
The benefits of Toyota Connect can be grouped into three main areas:
1. Connectivity
From a connectivity point of view, every new Toyota and Lexus comes standard with in-car Wi-Fi — including a one-off allocation of 15GB free data (SA only) upon activation. Thereafter, customers can top up using Toyota Connect or their banking apps.
2. Convenience
When it comes to convenience, the maintenance department reminds customers when their vehicles are due for servicing, factoring in all the back-end elements when you book directly on the My Toyota application.
The logbook facility automatically saves a digital log of your vehicle’s mileage and service history for tax-submission purposes, including auto-allocation for work and home, as well as business and personal trips.
The GPS locator gives you peace of mind, enabling you to find your vehicle easily and get a view of your trips.
3. Safety
Under safety, there is roadside assistance with impact detection — meaning that customers have real-time, 24/7 support with AA access.
The battery health check reflects the real-time status of the customer vehicle’s battery health.
The driver score feature encourages safer driving: customers can review their driver rating and keep track of their scores and overall driver behaviour.
Fantastic for fleets
Owners of small and medium-sized fleets will be delighted to know that the Toyota Connect hub caters for their requirements too, with the My Toyota Fleet Lite platform. It allows up to 50 vehicles to be added, affording the benefit of the full connectivity experience.
Fleet managers can activate Wi-Fi and top up in-car data and monitor driver behaviour, among other things. For example, alerts can be set for speeding, harsh braking and cornering — enabling the fleet manager to be proactive in addressing such behaviour.
In addition, the ability to monitor one’s fleet has become a necessity as it lets the administrator ascertain if a vehicle is stationary or moving, check the battery health and see whether a vehicle is in a high-risk zone, therefore helping to mitigate risks to both the fleet and vehicle occupants.
To sign up for this feature, fleet owners or their proxy can visit their nearest Toyota dealership and will be added as My Toyota administrator for the companies they represent upon providing documented proof that they are an official representative of the company and are authorised to manage the fleet.
For all Toyota Connect queries, customers can contact the support centre on 0800139111.
This article was paid for by Toyota SA Motors.
