Toyota is turning its recently launched Kinto mobility branding into an actual mobility services company for Europe, due to open spring 2021.

Kinto Europe will start operations in April 2021, managing a growing range of Kinto mobility services and products across the region

The carmaker announced plans at the start of the year to launch the brand as part of its strategy to transition from a car-making to a mobility company. Its Kinto UK division has already launched following the acquisition late 2019 of Inchcape Fleet Solutions, and is providing a full range of mobility services, from car sharing, carpooling and subscription to leasing solutions in the UK.

The Kinto Europe outfit is also now launching, positioned as a joint venture between Toyota Motor Europe (TME) and Toyota Financial Services (TFS) and based in Cologne, Germany. It will start operations in April 2021, managing a growing range of Kinto mobility services and products across the region.

The European Kinto offer will be supported by Toyota’s European retailer network, which will be transformed into ‘Mobility Service Providers’.

Solutions include the Kinto One all-inclusive leasing service – already launched in seven European markets, with more to follow in 2021 – as well as the Kinto Share range of car sharing services, and the Kinto Flex short-term, flexible vehicle subscription service. Also being introduced is the Kinto Join corporate carpooling solution for employees to create their own private transportation network, launched in Norway and Italy and soon to be delivered in the UK.

In addition, the Kinto a multi-modal aggregator – which coordinates journey planning, public transport ticketing, parking, taxi services and events – is already said to be seeing good results in Italy and plans are under way for its expansion in the short term.

Tom Fux, CEO Kinto Europe, said: “We cannot simply follow a defined approach like our competitors or any other mobility player in the market. Instead, we will find our own way, one that utilises our unique advantages and differentiates us in the mobility space.

“There is no defined roadmap for what we are proposing, we have to build our own strategy drawing on our particular business strengths and capabilities. Kinto is not a single service or product, bound by one location, it is genuinely diverse, so we are building a one-stop shop for mobility services, aiming to become the mobility provider of choice for all types of customers.”