Presentation by Simon Humphries
Good afternoon everybody.
Thank you very much for taking the time to be here today for the world premiere of the new Alphard and Vellfire.
When we think of the Alphard and Vellfire, a well-established image comes to mind.
The face, the grille, the presence, the total luxury of the passenger space…
But its important to remember that it wasn’t always that way…
The Alphard had rather more humble beginnings.
During the 90’s, the minivan segment was born from earlier commercial models.
The Alphard was created from these beginnings to be a new type of family car, where the space of the interior became the ultimate value…
It opened new opportunities for passengers, whether that be through a variety of seat arrangements, or in-car entertainment… or simply having another space for you define on your own terms…
And importantly, the driver was not left out.
The high seating position, performance and of course the character and confidence of the front end, all became a symbols of pride… and with the advent of the Vellfire, a new alter ego was born.
The Vellfire was more aggressive, dynamic, and had real attitude. it attracted a younger customer.
In fact, 30% of all customers are in their 30’s or younger…
With the rivalry between the two, people fell in love with the aura of the Alphard and Vellfire, and over time, the cars have grown, together with the customer.
But what was planned is really only half of the story.
The Alphard became part of a bigger movement…
Simply, it challenged, and changed, the social etiquette of the chauffeur vehicle world.
A world where, until the Alphard came along, there was only the sedan.
So how did this happen?
Well, there are probably many people who played a part in this, but today I’d like to tell you a story about one person who also played a big part in creating this change… Akio Toyoda.
When we talk about Akio san, its usually as a car-guy, or the “master driver”… but today it may be more appropriate to call him as the “master-passenger”…!
back in 2004, then a director of Toyota, he decided that instead of using a sedan as his chauffeur car, he would use the Alphard.
It suited his work style…
The space was there to work in comfort, talk with colleagues and acquaintances, relax between meetings, even change clothes if necessary…
All these factors made the Alphard the perfect choice…
But in reality, acceptance of this choice was a very different story…
In fact, on arriving to a meeting with another company in a white Alphard, he was told to “move along”, “get out of the way”, as there was a VIP due to arrive immediately, probably in a Century!
We all know who that was supposed to be, and the guard’s surprise when Akio stepped out of the Alphard!
This, of course, is now all history.
Now, the Alphard and Vellfire are used by everybody from Sumo rikishi to politicians, film stars to business people…
Over the three generations, Akio, as a master passenger, honed his requests to help tune each generation to an ever higher level…
It truly has become the new standard in the chauffeur driven world.
This unique approach to the value of space, and how much hospitality can be built into it, is in many ways, something very Japanese.
The Alphard and Vellfire build on the Japanese philosophy of “omotenashi”, where attention to even the smallest detail is critical to anticipating the customers needs.
But for many years it has remained primarily in Japan, and to be honest, as it’s looked at from overseas with some bemusement… we wondered if it would become the automotive equivalent of the “garakei”…
Thankfully, the customer has again taken the car to the next level.
The values and belief that made this car special in Japan have increasingly started to resonate with people around the world, with high demand even where the vehicle is not being sold.
So, with the new Alphard and Vellfire, it will be offered in twice has many countries, where we truly hope and believe, many new customers can enjoy and participate in the growth of this very unique product.
Everybody, the all new Alphard and Vellfire…
“Born in Japan”
