In a bid to speed up the global move toward sustainable vehicles, Toyota has suggested replacing the inner workings of vehicles that are already on the roads with cleaner technology like electric motors and fuel cells.
While appearing on the stage at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said: “I don’t want to leave any car lover behind.”
The message was very explicit: Toyota Motor Corporation wants the universe to know it has not fallen behind in electric vehicles, as some adversaries have implied.
Toyota is highlighting its clout: It possesses all the technology, engineering, financial reserves and industry experience required to remain a great competitor in green vehicles.
Toyoda let reporters know it would take a long time for all the vehicles to become zero emission, as they only constitute a fraction of the vehicles being sold. He said changing old cars to go green, or conversion was a better option.
Toyoda, the grandson of the founder of Toyota and a great racer, was also hoping to debunk the stereotype that clean cars aren’t as fun as regular cars.
During Toyota’s Gazoo Racing booth, the maker of the Lexus luxury models and Camry sedan displayed video of its triumph at world rallies, the battery-electric and hydro-powered versions of the Toyota AE86 series which included the Toyota Corolla Levin, to accentuate what Toyoda called its “conversion” strategy.
The automobile industry is going through a transformation due to growing concerns over climate change. In most cases, car makers are blamed as the culprits.
Toyoda revealed that ecological works in the auto industry were starting to be recognized in many countries, but he felt the work is less appreciated in Japan.
Toyota is a force in the industry with its hybrid technology, which is embodied in the Prius, which possesses both an electric motor and gasoline engine, going back and forth to deliver the most efficient car. That has often been viewed to reflect its unwillingness to go completely electric.
Battery electric vehicles constitute 20% of the auto market, despite the noise about relative newcomers like Tesla. Europe is ahead of Japan and the U.S. in the move toward electric.
Matthias Schmidt, chief auto analyst at Schmidt Automotive Research said the scarcity of components like lithium could drive up the prices of EVs, and consumers may stick with hybrids,
He said: “If this was 2025, and you asked that same question, I would say the Japanese OEMs have missed the boat. But seeing it’s 2023, and the likes of Toyota are beginning their BEV roll-out, their timing is likely bang on schedule.”
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