T – Connect smart phones application from Toyota in 8 Middle Eastern countries

Toyota has launched a range of interactive telematics services called T-Connect for its Middle East customers which will be available through a smartphone application for all drivers and will offer access to useful information as well as services while on the move through navigational and operator led services. T-Connect is based off the navigation / operator service called the Smart G-BOOK service. Customers can also benefit from the service through an interactive touch screen that is implemented in all Toyota cars. 

After Japan in 2011 and Thailand in 2012, the UAE is the third country in the world to receive the system where Toyota is popular among car owners.

The service connects to an operator via telephone, at which point the user requests a destination. Via voice recognition, that destination is forwarded to smartphone navigation, and audio guidance is provided to the user via navigator. It should be noted that the service will be available in Arabic and English which will be suitable for all customers. 

“The Middle East is an indispensable market for Toyota and I believe this smartphone-based telematics will be a key differentiator for automotive brands to meet customer expectations. It has tremendous potential given the high smartphone penetration in this region,” said Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota Motor Corporation managing officer. 

The T-Connect service, which will be available for all new Toyota vehicles, will be incorporated throughout the brand’s extensive portfolio of automobiles. It will be available to all new Toyota vehicle buyers free of charge for the first year. Customers of Toyota vehicles prior to 2014 can also access the service through an iOS or Android phone with an applicable service fee.

Managing officer Tomoyama explained, “The Mideast makes up of 8% of Toyota’s global sales, and Toyota cars account for 40% of the market share in the region. Moving towards the realized growth of a smart mobility society and sustainable world, Toyota has been working hard to revolutionize the automotive business into one that makes complete use of ICT.” 

With that in the background, Toyota’s managing officer clarified, “We are putting energy into expanding smartphone compatible services, represented by the T-Connect service, for which we feel we should increase the number of contact points with our end users.”

Toyota, which has been in the Gulf region for several years and thus has become a brand preferred by those looking to buy cars for sale in UAE, has established a call centre in Dubai to communicate closely with customers in the Middle East for all T-Connect related operations in addition to providing a customer database component to ensure the successful operation of this service.