YURI KAGEYAMA
TOKYO (AP). Japanese automaker Toyota is expanding its electric vehicle lineup with 30 new all-electric models by 2030, its president, Akio Toyoda, said Tuesday.
According to him, Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell 3.5 million electric vehicles worldwide in 2030, up from the previous plan to sell 2 million zero-hydrogen electric vehicles and batteries per year worldwide by 2030. Toyota currently sells about 10 million vehicles a year. …
Toyoda has pledged that there will be a full line of electric models in the coming years called the bz series, short for Beyond Zero, including SUVs of all sizes, pickup trucks and sports cars.
“We can leave this beautiful planet and bring many smiles to the next generation,” Toyoda told reporters at a showroom in Tokyo, standing on stage with more than a dozen electric vehicle models promised for the future.
His comments highlight the company’s determination to change its reputation as a laggard in the industry’s transition to electric vehicles.
Toyota prides itself on being a pioneer in hybrid technology, and more recently, hydrogen fuel cell technology for automobiles.
Toyoda said the maker of the Prius hybrid, Lexus luxury models and the fuel cell car Mirai wants to offer a variety of options.
He stressed that Toyota must respond to global concerns about climate change and carbon emissions.
According to Toyoda, Lexus’ luxury brand will be fully electric worldwide by 2035. It aims to achieve this by 2030 for the US, European and Chinese markets.
Also on Tuesday, the company increased its investment in battery research and development to 2 trillion yen ($ 17.6 billion) from the 1.5 trillion yen ($ 13.2 billion) announced earlier this year.
The company said that with other green technologies such as hybrids included, Toyota will invest 8 trillion yen ($ 70 billion) by 2030.
Earlier this month, Toyota announced plans to build a $ 1.3 billion electric vehicle battery plant near Greensboro, North Carolina, which will employ at least 1,750 people and begin production in 2025.
Toyota’s all-electric SUV, called the ‘bZ4X’, will go on sale worldwide next year.
Toyota is building a futuristic city near Mount Fuji to test and demonstrate automated driving, sustainable energy, and homebuilding robotics.
David Leggett, automotive editor for GlobalData, said Toyota is trying to prepare for the dramatic technological and social changes ahead.
“Companies need to think about what demand will look like 10, 20, 30 years from now, and the paths that will return to their business plans in the foreseeable time horizon,” Leggett told The Associated Press.
Toyoda, an avid racer and grandson of the company’s founder, admitted that he had no interest in electric vehicles before, considering them a “commodity.” But he said he was excited about the cars Toyota is developing.
“They are safer, faster and more fun to drive. I can say that as a driver, ”he said.
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Yuri Kageyama on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
