Toyota unveils plans for global line-up of battery electric vehicles
oyota, which pioneered hybrid cars, on Monday unveiled plans for its first global line-up of battery electric vehicles as other carmakers have pulled ahead in electrification.
JAPAN automaker announced at the Shanghai motor show its future bZ line, or Beyond Zero, that ought to see seven models hitting showroom floors by 2025.
"We’re establishing ourselves as a complete line-up manufacturer," said Masahiko Maeda, Toyota Motor Corporation's chief technology officer.
The announcement at the Shanghai motor show was appropriate as China is the only market where Toyota sells electric versions of a number of its cars.
The first bZ model, an SUV whose characteristics and price weren't disclosed, should reach consumers in just over a year.
The announcement comes just a month after Volkswagen, which took back the title of the most notable carmaker by sales volume last year from Toyota, unveiled an enormous 46 billion-euro ($55 billion) investment intend to become the top maker of electric vehicles by 2025.
All of the major automakers such as for example Stellantis (Peugeot, Fiat, Chrysler), Renault-Nissan, GM, Ford, Hyundai-Kia and China's Geely (Volvo) have announced recently plans to go towards electric vehicles.
All except for Toyota, whose line-up is dominated by hybrids, from the sub-compact Yaris to the big 4x4 Highlander.
The automaker has only a handful of battery electric vehicles on sale beyond China, like the ProAce small van and the ultra-compact C+pod.
That's hangover from the indegent welcome a power version of its Rav4 SUV received in the usa in 1997 due to its limited range and too little recharging stations.
Meanwhile, Toyota's new hybrid Prius which launched concurrently and didn't have range limitations, was a commercial success.
"At Toyota we always talks about the needs of our customers," Maeda said. "It's important for people to be able to use our products atlanta divorce attorneys environment."
But with progress in battery technology which has expanded the number of vehicles, the construction of more charging stations and public subsidies, sales of electric vehicles has increased.
They reached 15.1 percent of total car sales in Europe in the final 90 days of 2020.
Toyota now believes that it could no longer do with out a complete selection of vehicles that includes hybrids, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The carmaker is now aiming for a target of 10 percent of its sales from either BEVs or hydrogen vehicles by 2025.
It expects 70 percent of its sales to be standard hybrids that year, 10 percent plug-in hybrids, and just ten percent with internal combustion engines, said Matt Harrison, head of Toyota Motor Europe.
The advanced of hybrids and electrics in its vehicle mix should allow Toyota to beat European pollution norms, which allows it to market some emissions allocations, according to Harrison.
"To create real progress on CO2 emissions, nobody ought to be left behind on the journey to carbon neutrality," he said.
Toyota will concentrate its electric sales efforts on countries where consumers were much more likely to switch because of available infrastructure, incentives and available income.
The bZ vehicles will first be created in Japan and China, but they could possibly be built-in Toyota's European factories aswell, Harrison noted.
Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, also needs to unveil a new electric line-up in the coming months, he added.
Source: japantoday.com
