“We are not EV opponents, we are just focusing on the facts”

No other car company sold more than Toyota last year. Volkswagen also could not pass the Japanese brand. So they must have sold a lot of electric cars, right? Well, that’s disappointing: less than 1 percent of all cars Toyota sold were fully electric. And the brand has also been critical of EVs from time to time, but that doesn’t make them hateful.

Car guide spoke with Toyota’s VP of Sales and Marketing in Australia. In this conversation, the Australian branch wants to make it clear that Toyota will indeed sell EVs, but that all powertrains play a role. This also includes hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen cars and old gasoline cars. They want to keep all options open and build cars that benefit everyone.

“We don’t see (the electric car) as the holy grail or the only holy grail on the path to carbon neutrality. The many ways (with multiple powertrains) is still our strategy, but we are happy to enter the BEV market. We know it plays a role,” the VP said. For example, the brand wants to continue selling more diesel in Australia.

As long as EVs can’t do what diesels do, Toyota will continue to sell diesels

Diesels are still very popular, especially in Australia. The spokesperson says Toyota will continue to sell diesel vehicles until there is an EV that can do what diesels do. The fact that Toyota is also holding on to petrol cars at the moment may be subject to criticism: ‘Some are interpreting it as if Toyota is against EVs. No, we are not. We are just real. We are honest about the market and position’

In the Netherlands, Toyota mainly sells cars like the Corolla Hybrid and Prius, but in poor Australia, most people still go for the Land Cruiser and Hilux. These roadsters often have a diesel engine. Toyota wants to start selling its first electric model soon: the bZ4x. In addition, there are still plenty of EVs in Toyota’s pipeline.