A tale of two carmakers: GM, Toyota take different electric roads in China

Toyota pioneered the world's most successful hybrid car however when it involves pure electric vehicles it has some catching up to accomplish, especially in China. The Hong Guang Mini EV, a tiny, no-frills car created by a General Motors jv that costs under $5,000 is a smash hit in the world's biggest car market while Toyota has yet to launch its small, low-cost electric vehicle in China.

Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, is set to unveil its solution at the Shanghai auto show on April 19: a new universal platform for electric vehicles (EVs) called e-TNGA that may underpin an array of models from small runarounds to large SUVs. It will display its concept electric mid-sized sport-utility vehicle (SUV), predicated on the e-TNGA platform, which is defined to be sold worldwide within a year or two, two people familiar with Toyota's plans said. Toyota's executives have long called for a small electric runabout however the fact it is going first with a mid-sized SUV is an indicator of the challenges it still faces to create small, low-cost EVs that are also competitive, comfortable and safe. With pressure growing on carmakers to slash emissions, Toyota is scrambling to produce EVs that may compete globally with the Mini EV, Tesla's high-end sedans, mid-range models from Volkswagen and Renault and sleek EVs from Chinese startups like and Xpeng. While Toyota's Prius hybrid became a global bestseller, one of its early efforts to develop a little EV, the eQ, was a flop.

After selling about 100 eQs in 2012, Toyota ditched it because of concerns about the limits of EVs, such as for example their high price, short range and long charge time. The eQ, a power version of Toyota's mini iQ, cost 3.6 million yen ($33,000), roughly the cost of its mid-sized Camry.