October 2, 2008

PetScoop -- A Pet-Friendly Vehicle: Toyota Offers Pet Products for New Sedan

Could this be the beginning of a trend? Pet-friendly cars with vehicle-specific pet products--ramps, harnesses, booster seats. Fabulous idea: one-stop shopping for the pet owner.

Toyota, astutely deducing that many buyers of its cars are pet owners, are offering pet care accessories for its new sedan, the 2009 Venza. The pet products, being distributed to dealers through the Toyota Associated Pet Products program, will be sold at Toyota dealerships.

The Venza itself is especially suited for pet owners, because it is designed to make getting in and out of the car easier, Zeinstra said. Toyota also considered a study conducted by the American Pet Product Association that revealed half of all dog owners consider their pet's comfort when buying a car.

Available products include:

a rear hatch pet ramp for easy loading and unloading
a leash tether for securing pets in the vehicle
a pet booster seat with harness
a first/second row or cargo area pet barrier
pet seatbelt buckles
rear seat zip line-style harnesses.
waterproof and removable hammock-style seat covers available to fit Venza's bench and bucket seats.

Pricing for the pet products will be available at the end of 2008 in conjunction with the Venza launch.

Source