![]() Then again, I’ve since learned that it’s a great way to promote the business.’ Then there was the boom in pre-mixed cocktails and I started producing my own drinks. ‘I worked in my dad’s restaurant, and noticed an interest in imported speciality beers, so I set up an import company. ![]() ‘I’ve been a rally fan ever since my early twenties, and used to go up to the forest stages in Yorkshire to watch those amazing Group 4 and Group B cars, like Hannu Mikkola’s Audi quattro – I never thought I’d end up owning it. ‘I was a co-driver to start with, on local 12-car rallies,’ Perez reminisces in his Derbyshire tones as he remotely opens the huge electric door of the aircraft hangar behind his Chesterfield home that houses his collection. It’s paid off, too – he’s won three national rally championships. then built himself a full-size gravel forest stage to drive them on. Whereas some wealthy connoisseurs discreetly maintain a portfolio of classics, Perez bought his childhood dream rally cars. There’s no doubting his business nous – he’s the brains behind such successful drinks brands as Vodka Kick, Corky’s and Amigos – but he’s used the proceeds of it to sustain a wide-eyed enthusiasm for rallying that only a true petrolhead can muster. ![]() Perhaps the most endearing thing about Steve Perez is the sense that he still can’t quite believe his luck. Words SAM DAWSON Photography LAURENS PARSONS I think that’s the wrong idea.Steve Perez’s stone-chipped selection of old stagers reflects his opposite-locking attitude to active preservation The danger is that we just keep on putting more technology into these vehicles. Do consumers want more screens in their car? Or do they just want a phenomenal experience? I think they want a phenomenal experience. You look at some OEMs putting so many screens everywhere, but I think they’re missing the point. Is there ever a time when you think, ‘We could make the car do this, but then it would be too expensive?’ So, yes, we may be adding cost, but I think that is where the cost should go because that is what consumers want. The first thing they look at is technology. Nowadays, most people don’t look at the engine. When I got my first car, it was about the engine. But by putting bigger screens in, you’re also taking costs out because now you need fewer buttons and less physical hardware in the vehicles. Yes, we’re putting bigger screens into the car and stuff like that. I try to say that we add cost to a car and we take cost out. Our goal is to build policies where we treat people how they want to be treated and hope they stay, rather than trying to force people to stay.ĭoes what your team creates increase the price of a Toyota? We don’t try to put in policies that don’t help people grow. What I mean by that is, it’s natural that people will move around in the technology sector, and we don’t look unfavorably on people when they do that. We want to treat our employees like adults.Īnd I don’t care if people leave. There is no pressure to come into the office. And we spent a lot of time on the organization structure to make sure we have the right people, and that they’re getting their time with managers and mentors to build their careers. We have four months of paternity leave, for example, and we expect you to take them. For every company now, this is going to be an ongoing battle.īut I think we’re well-placed. All original equipment manufacturers are transitioning to where they’re trying to build a company similar to this one, or they’re trying to be in technology. How competitive is it among automakers for technologists? And while you’re walking to your car, we can switch on all your vehicle lights and if, God forbid, something does happen, we can contact the emergency services straight away and they know where you are. What we want to do is have a safety service so you can touch a button on your phone and get through to a real-life person who will stay on the phone with you until you’re in your car. One other idea we’re looking to launch soon is, say you’re on a walk and you’ve parked your car on the street and it’s dark at night and you don’t feel safe. ![]() We can send customers a message through our app, connect them to a dealership and show them available appointment times. We want to be able to predict that before you get an alert. Something that we call service connect, where we use data from the vehicle to try to predict when something is going to happen to your vehicle - whether it’s that you need to change your oil or have an engine issue. Related: Toyota Connected in Plano will get a nearly $1 million renovation What new projects are in the works for Toyota vehicles?
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