
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has gone on a trademarking frenzy in markets around the globe, including South Africa.
Over the last few weeks, TMC applied to trademark no fewer than eight new nameplates at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) of South Africa, all of which have never been on sale here in an official capacity.
We also discovered that it registered several vehicle nomenclatures over the course of 2024 after receiving approval to do so anywhere from six months to four years ago.
Following the trail of trademarks
The new trademarks applied for by TMC, as listed on the CIPC database, are detailed in the below table:
Model | Segment | Trademark |
---|---|---|
Alphard | Luxury MPV | Applied on 31 October 2024 |
bZ3C | Electric crossover coupe | Accepted on 9 May 2024, registered on 13 November 2024 |
bZ3X | Electric crossover | Accepted on 16 November 2023, registered on 13 May 2024 |
Highlander | Mid-size SUV | Applied on 31 October 2024 |
Kluger | Mid-size SUV | Applied on 12 November 2024 |
Proace | Mid-size panel van/MPV | Accepted on 19 March 2020, registered on 19 April 2024 |
Sequoia | Full-size SUV | Applied on 1 November 2024 |
Tacoma | Mid-size bakkie | Applied on 1 November 2024 |
Tundra | Full-size bakkie | Applied on 6 November 2024 |
Vellfire | Luxury MPV | Applied on 6 November 2024 |
Vista | Mid-size sedan | Applied on 6 November 2024 |
TopAuto reached out to the domestic arm of Toyota to inquire whether it has any intention to introduce one or more of these models to the country, but the automaker said it “does not comment on future product plans.”
However, before you decide to skip that Hilux and wait for the Tacoma, take note that trademark applications do not necessarily prove that a particular vehicle will launch in a certain market.
Toyota similarly trademarked many of these vehicles in Australia and confirmed to Aussie publication Carsales that this is to protect its intellectual property and is not representative of any upcoming product plans or releases.
That doesn’t mean the Alphard, bZ3C, bZ3X, Highlander, Kluger, Proace, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Vellfire, or Vista will never appear on our roads, but they might not show up any time soon.
Many of these cars are only built in left-hand drive at present and are limited to a particular region such as the Americas or Japan.
As such, it would necessitate a substantial investment to bring them over to South Africa, one that may not be worth the effort given the diminutive size of the local market on a global scale coupled with the poor quality of local fuels that have seen several automakers – including Toyota – delay or cancel model introductions in the past.
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