The "gold edition" 7-series forklift.

Toyota Industrial Equipment Europe (TIEE) says its 7-series internal combustion forklift is its most popular series, having sold 250,000 units worldwide.

The manufacturer has introduced a "gold edition" version of the series, featuring a new paint scheme to commemorate Toyota's 50th anniversary, ahead of the 8-series launch.

Available through Toyota's 20 distributors in 27 European countries, the gold edition has no new features but, like all 7-series forklifts in Europe, features Toyota's system of active stability and operator total care package.

TIEE public relations executive Jeffrey Schenck said the 8-series's European launch was expected in 2007 but no date had been announced. The 8-series forklift, which is the new, enhanced version of the 7-series, has been released in Japan, the US and Australia.

The "normal" 7-series forklift.

Asked why the 7-series was selected for the gold edition, Schenck said: "Toyota's IC range is very popular in Europe. During our 50th anniversary, we wanted to provide customers with a great opportunity to obtain special value packages on this truck.

"Based on customer needs, we have put together for each [European] country a combination of option packages to provide customers across Europe with the best possible deal on this best-selling truck."

A Toyota competitor in Europe said the gold edition forklift was a "good marketing tool".

"It is not extraordinary to produce forklifts for 50 years since most of our European competitors have been doing so for a much longer time," he said.

"Some of the pioneers unfortunately have disappeared, like the original Clark, Towmotor, Steinbock, Conveyancer, and Lansing, among others, but what Toyota has achieved is quite impressive and a good example to follow."

However, he was surprised TIEE chose the 7-series for the gold edition forklift.

"Toyota claims [the 7-series is] the most popular but most insiders know the best series for Toyota was the 6-series. This is what I know from Toyota distributors and customers.

"I think the 7-series [gold edition] is just a marketing tool because it is still the current model until the launch of the 8-series," he said.

An industry member in Japan speculated TIEE "had to launch something" for the European market because European production of the 8-series had not started.

Toyota Materials Handling USA Inc national marketing manager Melinda Beckett-Maines told Forkliftaction.com News the 7-series was Toyota's best-selling series in the US.

Kion Group, the holding company for the Linde, OM and Still brands, acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners last Sunday, has said it planned to unseat Toyota as the world's leading materials handling equipment manufacturer by 2011 (Forkliftaction.com News #276).