Toyota Stories June 30
Three weeks after introducing the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid in Japan, Toyota suspended orders in its home market and cut production for the US to just 5,000 vehicles. The company cited unexpectedly high levels of consumer interest and a…wait for it…constraint in battery supply.
Toyota Stories June 9
When Toyota announced pricing for its new RAV4 plug-in hybrid in late May, the company’s press release pegged the “manufacturer-estimated” all-electric range at 42 miles. However, the Toyota RAV4 Prime consumer website lists 39 miles of all-electric range.
Toyota Stories May 29
As far as plug-in hybrids go, 42 miles on a single charge is pretty damn good. A lot of commuters could refrain from using gas for weeks or months. Put that in a popular crossover model, and you could have a hit.
Toyota Stories April 27
The Lexus UX 300e crossover went on sale to Chinese consumers on Sunday, April 26. The Toyota-branded version of the same model, the C-HR, will go on sale this week – with the Izoa variant to soon follow.
Toyota Stories April 2
Toyota and BYD are launching today a new electric car company with the goal of “developing BEVs that appeal to customers.” expand full story
Toyota Stories March 2
Toyota might be down on EVs for America. But the Japanese automaker announced plans late last week that it will build a new electric vehicle plant in cooperation with the First Automobile Works (FAW) in Tianjin, China. The two companies will invest about $1.22 billion in the project.
The plant is expected to produce 200,000 battery-only, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles every year. The company did not indicate how many units would be electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell.
Toyota Stories February 14
Larry Hutchinson, CEO of Toyota Canada, spoke last week at the opening of the 2020 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. His comments were captured by Driving.ca’s David Booth, who characterized Toyota as “the industry leader in electrification” and “the biggest, most successful, and most environmentally conscious traditional automaker.”
Hutchinson expressed Toyota’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. But, he argues, that mandating automakers to build more BEVs and trying “to convince drivers to buy them” won’t achieve the world’s climate goals.
Toyota Stories February 3
Toyota and Panasonic announced today an agreement to jointly develop EV batteries starting in April. The new company, dubbed Prime Planet Energy and Solutions, will develop prismatic batteries for sale to other automakers. The joint venture, which will be owned 51% by Toyota, will have more than 5,000 employees.
Toyota Stories January 24
Toyota has a history of creating misleading electric-vehicle advertising, especially with its “self-charging hybrid” ad campaign. Norway has now banned the campaign, deeming it a lie. expand full story
Toyota Stories December 22, 2019
A Ford dealer guide distributed this week revealed the starting price of the 2020 Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid as $34,235, including destination. Ford says that the Escape Plug-in Hybrid will have “30-plus” miles of all-electric range. The Escape PHEV will compete for customers with the 2020 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, which is more powerful while providing 39 miles of EV range.
