Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has launched 16 battery electric vehicles and announced investments totalling JPY8trn in carbon reducing and carbon neutral vehicles and technology between now and 2030.
The 16 new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) shown today at an event in Japan are among 30 new BEVs TMC plans to launch by 2030, in passenger car, SUV and commercial vehicle segments.
During the Megaweb showcase in Tokyo, TMC president Akio Toyoda announced the group’s revised BEV sales target of 3.5m a year by 2030, an increase of 75% on the previous annual sales projection of 2m announced last May.
Half of the investment funds would be devoted to research & development and capital expenditure for BEVs while the other half would be dedicated to hybrid-electric (HEV), plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV).
The total includes JPY2trn to accelerate the development of more advanced, high quality, and affordable batteries, an amount a third higher than the JPY1.5trn announced as recently as September.
Toyoda said Toyota had 30 years of experience in power efficiency – refining the control of batteries, electric motors and the amount of energy a vehicle needs to run.
“We will not only add battery EV options to existing vehicle models but will also offer a full line up of reasonably priced mass production models, such as the bZ series, to meet the needs of all kinds of customers,” he said.
“We can position batteries and electric motors to bring more freedom to battery EVs. This freedom will allow us to be more attuned to our customers, such as by meeting the various needs of different regions, the various lifestyles of our customers, and, when it comes to commercial vehicles, everything from long distance transport to last mile delivery.”
Energy plays a critical role in achieving carbon neutrality and, at this stage, the energy situation varies greatly from region to region.
“That is exactly why Toyota is committed to providing a diversified range of carbon-neutral options to meet whatever might be the needs and situations in every country and region. It is not us but local markets and our customers who decide which options to choose.”
The 16 vehicles displayed today were: five Toyota bZ (beyond Zero) vehicles, seven lifestyle models including commercial vehicles, and four Lexus models.
Lexus is aiming for a 100% battery electric mix in Europe, North America and China by 2030.
The five vehicles in the bZ series were:
• bZ4X (global launch in 2022),
• Mid-size SUV (with styling that represents “a new era for BEVs”),
• Small SUV (compact size intended for Europe and Japan),
• Mid-size sedan (meeting customer expectations for a first car),
• Large SUV (with optional third row seats).