The South African arm of Toyota — an automotive manufacturer, has partnered with Altron, a technology solutions provider, and Vodacom Business — a corporate connectivity and telecommunications provider, to launch an in-car Wi-Fi and connectivity features in new Toyota and Lexus vehicles across South Africa by September 2019.
Tagged ‘Toyota Connect’, the new connectivity hub will be integrated into the MyToyota App. The service will provide Toyota service users across South Africa access to safety benefits and quality convenience. This will commence on the 1st of September 2019.
Andrew Kirby, CEO of Toyota South Africa noted that the partnership was birthed base on the importance of telematics and telecommunication in the vehicles. He noted that Nester, a subsidiary of Altron and Toyota built Toyota Connect with the Internet of Things (IoT) functionalities. The functions include telematics and fleet management.
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Toyota Connect is used to maintain the vehicles of Toyota vehicle owners. Once the users use the service booking option on the MyToyota App, they will be reminded when next due for servicing. Toyota Connect also offers Logbook facility service. This particular service records a digital log of vehicle distance and saves history automatically for future purposes. There is also a GPS locator that helps the vehicle owner view the location of the car.
Available also on Toyota Connect is a Roadside Assistance that comes with impact detection. This grants vehicle owners’ access to 24/7 real-time support. It also creates room for Battery Health Check which showcases the real-time status of the vehicle’s battery.
In Andrew Kirby’s words, “As of September 1st, 2019, all-new Toyota and Lexus models sold in South Africa will come standard with in-car Wi-Fi,15GB free data as well as a host of connectivity features and benefits, courtesy of Toyota Connect – a major extension of the MyToyota App.”
According to Mteto Nyati, Altron Group Chief Executive, once a customer opts into the service, the vehicle’s data collected by telematics will provide accident and breakdown assistance. He noted that the data also provides insights into Toyota’s dealer network, customers, fleet owners, and third-party services. Users looking to top up their wi-fi can do so via the Toyota Connect or banking apps.
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