Toyota is changing its mind (a little) about the electric car, not by choice, but by necessity

[ad_1]

Long resistant to all-electric, Toyota is increasingly opening up to this energy, even if the manufacturer still claims not to want to put all its marbles in the same basket. But the brand admits that this will be a mandatory step to meet environmental objectives.

Toyota and the electric car have never been a great love story, and it still isn’t. The world number one in terms of new car sales obviously does not intend to disrupt what it took years to build, namely hybrid and reliable engines.

However, in certain regions of the world, starting with Europe, standards are tightening, and even if Toyota is still one of the good students thanks to its particularly efficient hybrid models, the fact remains that in 2035, like all other manufacturers, they will no longer have the right to sell them on the Old Continent.

For several years, the Japanese manufacturer has now been trying to catch up, with the recent bZ4X for example. It is clear that we are far from the segment’s benchmarks, especially since the launch was chaotic, to say the least.

Toyota may soon have no choice

However, Toyota believes that the electric car will be part of the solutions for the future, while again arguing that it will not be the single solution. Logical after all, Toyota being a global manufacturer, and only Europe imposes such strict standards. What’s more, Europe is far from being the number one market in the world for the brand, with Asia and the United States coming out on top.

But it is precisely in the USA that Toyota is starting to change its approach. In an interview given to Automotive NewsGilles Pratt, director of research at Toyota, specifies that “to achieve this objective, it envisages a future where electric vehicles can coexist with cars running on synthetic fuels and hydrogen”. Apparently, the discourse has changed compared to two years ago, because Gilles Pratt seemed much less open to this idea.

Will the United States change the mind of the Japanese brand?

Even if Toyota’s official discourse still seems far from being focused on electricity, as evidenced by the manufacturer’s electric range in Europe, it is clear that behind this facade, Toyota seems aware that there are things to change more or less in the medium term.

“In the United States, decisions are being made, and I am not participating, regarding the cessation of the production of thermal vehicles for the American market”said Gill Pratt. “The very fact that we are thinking about it means that the final decision must be close. »

But our protagonist tempers and reminds us that a majority of cars will be thermal for a long time to come, and that “even if we only sell electric cars from a certain date, the thermal fleet will be present in the long term”.

Still, Toyota seems to be closely observing what is currently happening in the United States, and if a decision similar to that taken in Europe were to result from the discussions currently underway, there is a strong chance that the brand will change its mind. Because if Toyota can afford to “do without” Europe, this will certainly not be the case for the American market.


[ad_2]

Source link -102