Toyota’s Sienna and Camry, both utilizing hybrid systems, are catching the eye in the taxi market.
From March to June this year, a total of 26 units of the Toyota Sienna were registered as taxis, marketed as Kakao Mobility’s large taxi ‘Venti’. Toyota Korea emphasized, “We offered the Sienna for Venti sales at the request of Kakao Mobility for collaboration. The Sienna provides luxury, spacious interior, and excellent fuel efficiency that make it perfect for a premium taxi vehicle.”
Meanwhile, the Camry is generating a steady response as a regular taxi model. Over the past year, a total of 58 Camrys have been sold for taxi use. On average, nearly five Camrys are delivered to individual business owners each month. Starting at 39.9 million KRW, the Camry is about 3 million KRW more expensive than the Grandeur taxi, which starts at 36.05 million KRW (dimensions: 5,035 x 1,880 x 1,460mm vs. Camry’s 4,880 x 1,840 x 1,445mm).
The Camry uses a hybrid system while the Grandeur relies on an LPG engine. When comparing fuel economy over five years covering 500,000 km, the story changes dramatically. The Grandeur taxi, using LPG at a rate of 982 KRW, would incur fuel costs of 62.94 million KRW in that time, while the Camry, using gasoline at 1,707 KRW, would total 47.15 million KRW.
By using the Camry for 500,000 km over five years, one could save up to approximately 15 million KRW in fuel costs compared to the Grandeur taxi. Given that taxis typically have significantly higher mileage than regular cars, those with good fuel efficiency will have a clear advantage.
Combined, the Camry and Sienna still number less than 100 units, representing a modest presence. However, Toyota’s durability and high fuel efficiency are expected to generate a quiet but positive response among taxi operators within the existing taxi market.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr