- Toyota Certified cover will now appy to most Toyota NZ used cars.
- 1-year/15,000km warranty, can be extended to 10 years/150,000km.
- Signature Class discontinued, but existing warranties will stand.
Starting this month, most used vehicles sold by Toyota Stores in New Zealand will be classified as "Toyota Certified", bringing a 1-year/15,000km warranty (including AA Roadservice) that can be extended up to 10 years/150,000km.
The Toyota Service Protect scheme can extend that up to 10 years/150,000km, if the vehicle is serviced at a Toyota Store. Every qualifying service adds another year of warranty. A similar scheme was launched by Lexus earlier this year.
Vehicles less than than 10 years old and with less than 150,000km on the clock will qualify. They must have "been checked by a Toyota Technician and meet the prescribed standard" and "service must be up to date as per the Toyota recommended Service Schedule."
While Toyota Certified is not new, there's a renewed focus (the company is calling it a "refresh") on the programme, which also draws a line under the Signature Class scheme (which offered warranties up to 4 years).
Signature Class was launched in 1997 and initially focused on the refurbishment of used imports, although in later years there have been more ex-rentals and fleet cars in the mix.
Toyota NZ vice president of used vehicles Mark Young says the discontinuation of Signature Class does not impact the reconditioning team at the Toyota plant in Thames, as they will continue a range of refurbishment and accessorising work.
“Existing Signature Class customers can be rest assured their investment continues to hold strong value. Signature Class has long stood for exceptional quality, and that standard now lives on under Toyota Certified. The rigorous inspection, factory backing, and premium reputation that came with your vehicle will continue to give you an edge at resale. Buyers know a Toyota used car is a cut above and that won’t change, all warranties as a part of current Signature Class will be upheld.
“Every Toyota Certified vehicle undergoes a comprehensive pre-sale inspection and has it’s servicing up-to-date. We are keen to extend our excellent service and after-market sales to as many Kiwis as we can. We know the market for used Toyotas is huge in New Zealand, we want to invite those owners into the Toyota family and eco-system, providing them with peace of mind that the vehicle they are buying is a good one.”
Toyota Stores sell more than 20,000 used cars every year, with 42% of used Toyotas under 5 years old being sold by Toyota (excluding public-to-public sales). TNZ also made up around 10% of all Toyota used-car imports last year.