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Kenyans will soon start buying locally assembled Toyota Hilux models after Toyota Kenya sinks $1 million to make it a reality

Toyota Kenya is planning to sink Sh100 million to set up a local assembly plant of Toyota Hilux model.
  • Toyota Kenya is planning to sink Sh100 million ($1 million) in setting up a local assembly plant of its popular Hilux model starting October.
  • The motor vehicle manufacturer plans to churn out more than 500 Hilux cars during the first year of production.
  • Toyota Hilux will join Land Cruiser pick-ups, Hino trucks and Yamaha Motorcycles, which are already assembled locally. 

Kenyans will soon start buying locally assembled Toyota Hilux, one of Toyota Kenya highest selling models.

Toyota Kenya is planning to sink Sh100 million ($1 million) in setting up a local assembly plant of its popular Hilux model starting October, as it moves to expand its portfolio of Kenya-produced motor vehicles more than three years after the firm first went public on the plans.

Toyota Hilux will join Land Cruiser pick-ups, Hino trucks and Yamaha Motorcycles, which are already assembled locally. 

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 “We took a decision to work with Hilux because this is one of our highest selling models. By end of October, we expect the first batch of locally assembled Hilux out. This will be the first phase since we are looking to assemble other models in the near future. For now, we will be concentrating on the Hilux so that we make it a case study for the passenger vehicles,” Business Daily reported Toyota Kenya Managing Director Arvinder Reel as saying.

We are expecting the equipment to come in between now and August. We have so far trained our staff and we have had Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) partners come in to train our people further.”

The motor vehicle manufacturer plans to churn out more than 500 Hilux cars during the first year of production.

Mr. Reel said the project was in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big 4 agenda since it aimed to create about 1,000 jobs and boost the local manufacturing sector.

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Toyota Kenya is banking on the Automotive Policy, which is still being processed for implementation, that is designed to address the challenges affecting the vehicle industry including the lack of dedicated legal, institutional regulatory framework, importation of parts by franchise holders instead of procuring from local parts manufacturers and influx of used fully built units, among others.

Currently, the local auto industry is producing just about 6,000 vehicles per year which is only a fifth of the installed capacity of 34,000 units compared to the 1980s, where the industry was producing over 13,000 vehicles per year.

Kenya has three Assembly plants: AVA in Mombasa where Toyota Kenya is a customer, KVM in Thika and Isuzu EA in Nairobi.

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