Dublin will be the first city in the world to try Toyota’s new car-sharing offering, YUKO, which Toyota says will tackle Dublin’s traffic congestion and help ease it’s overworked public transport system. The company is also launching a pilot project with Uber that allows people who have paid for their car to use it as an alternative form of transport. A Toyota spokesman stated: “ It’s like an infant right now, so we’re just going to let it grow and let the customers dictate where it’s going to go and what it’s going to be...” The Irish Times initially sees the new product as a way to enable potential buyers to test Toyota's hybrid vehicles prior to purchasing, but ultimately fitting with a change in consumer preferences shifting from owning to renting; one day, services such as YUKO could replace dealerships in putting people behind the wheel of a Toyota. YUKO sees Toyota enter the micro-renting sphere, alongside BMW, Peugeot, and General Motors who are already testing similar services.
Dublin will be the first city in the world to try Toyota’s new car-sharing offering, YUKO, which Toyota says will tackle Dublin’s traffic congestion and help ease it’s overworked public transport system. YUKO will begin with 15 hybrid vehicles operating from three city centre locations, which will be available for people to rent hourly or daily after members have paid the initial €50 sign-up fee, with its future direction to be decided by members as the project progresses. A Toyota spokesman stated: “It’s like an infant right now, so we’re just going to let it grow and let the customers dictate where it’s going to go and what it’s going to be...” The Irish Times initially sees the new product as a way to enable potential buyers to test Toyota's hybrid vehicles prior to purchasing, but ultimately fitting with a change in consumer preferences shifting from owning to renting; one day, services such as YUKO could replace dealerships in putting people behind the wheel of a Toyota. YUKO sees Toyota enter the micro-renting sphere, alongside BMW, Peugeot, and General Motors who are already testing similar services.