Who would’ve thought that Toyota would be come one of the leaders in keeping the internal combustion engine alive? The same company that paved the way for electrification for the masses also wants to keep fuel-fed engines for as long as possible.
The world’s largest automaker is seemingly defiant despite the wave of EVs being launched by its competitors. So far, Toyota is being proven right in its gamble to stick with hybrids and plug-in hybrids with EV sales slowing down in the West.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Is PAREX still on the table? Toll regulator says project is yet to be officially canceled
Car nuts, rejoice: The Japan Mobility Show is now an annual event
But one company within Toyota will only stop building combustion engines until legislation outlaws it. It probably won’t surprise you that it’s the company’s racing and performance division, Gazoo Racing.
In a press conference to Australian motoring media, Toyota Gazoo Racing president Tomoya Takahashi defied the performance car market’s EV push. “We want to use internal combustion engines as much as possible. There may be a time in the future when engines are banned, but internal combustion engines aren’t bad, the enemy is carbon,” said the executive.
If that’s not enough, “We are investing in future engines,” added Takahashi. Whereas some automakers have set deadlines on making and developing combustion engines, Toyota is adamant that these still have a place in the coming decades. Gazoo Racing’s boss echoes that sentiment.
“By using hybrid technology we can reduce carbon emissions, and we can also use carbon neutral fuels. We’re not sure about electrification and when it’s happening. Globally, there are discussions that cars won’t all be electric. Nobody can see 10 years into the future. Our direction is multi-pathway, not only EV.”
But it’s not just in the field of performance cars that Toyota is holding on to the combustion engine. It also believes that there is still a future for diesel engines, especially in the utility vehicle market. Yes, the electric Hilux is on the way, but that isn’t stopping Toyota from finding ways to extend diesel’s life. “Diesel, despite popular commentary, is not dead,” said Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia’s sales and marketing boss.
Speaking of bans, the UK, European Union, and the state of California have but a hard deadline of 2035 for the stop-sale and outright ban of internal combustion engine-powered vehicle sales. Despite that, it seems Toyota will continue the sale of such vehicles in places where it's still allowed.
