Toyota

Although Toyota held its title as the top-selling automaker, the industry is shifting beneath it. Toyota sold over 100,000 EVs in 2023, but that’s still less than 1% of the record 11.2 million vehicles handed over last year.

2023 was yet another pivotal year for EVs as the segment began to expand beyond early adopters and into the early majority. What should come as no surprise to most people is that American automaker Tesla dominated Google Trends search data for EVs last year. Still, gas and hybrid specialist Toyota remained the most searched auto brand, not by any specific state.

Longtime Toyota CEO and chairman Akio Toyoda believes EVs will only reach 30% market share at most. The comments come despite several auto markets, like Norway and Sweden, already well past that.

Toyota wants to bring the Land Cruiser brand into the electric future with two new EVs. The company is reportedly gearing up to electrify the Toyota Land Cruiser with its own brand.

“Toyota” announced a new eco-conscious AI copilot at the DC Auto Show yesterday, which promises to reduce environmental impact by up to 10% – but it turns out the whole thing was a prank, and the prank makes a real point about Toyota’s tendency towards greenwashing.

If you were waiting for a smaller, cheaper Toyota electric car, you may have to keep waiting. Toyota has no current plans to launch a cheap EV despite demand building.

Toyota confirmed plans to launch solid-state EV batteries with 10-minute fast charging and up to 750 miles (1,200 km) WLTP range to close the gap with Tesla. However, with the new EV battery tech still a few years out, Toyota could fall further behind.

Toyota gave the bZ4X an update for the 2024 model year. With new features and tech, Toyota looks to keep up with the competition.

Japanese industry leaders, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Panasonic, and seven others, are teaming up to develop advanced vehicle software.

As Ford struggles amid the industry’s shift to EVs, the automaker plans to lean into its hybrids. In a move that mirrors Toyota, Ford is scaling back its transition to EVs to bet on hybrids.

Toyota sold a record number of vehicles last month. Pure EV sales rose by 127% in November but still only accounted for 1% of Toyota’s total volume.

A new electric SUV from Toyota’s joint venture, GAC-Toyota, is arriving at dealerships in China. The Bozhi 4X is an upgraded bZ4X model with starting prices of around $25,000 (179,800 yuan).

Chinese joint venture FAW Toyota is issuing its second major recall on the bZ3 EV in eight months since it hit the market overseas. The company’s latest filing pertains to over 25,000 electric sedans built this year, some of which present incorrect estimates of remaining battery capacity, some even losing complete power without warning.

Tesla has announced that it will raise factory worker pay for some workers at its Nevada Gigafactory by 10% or more. The news comes not long after UAW’s historic strike wins, in which it earned 25% pay increases at all of the Big Three American automakers.

After VW, Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda did the same recently, this shows how union wins tend to affect entire industries, raising conditions for even nonunionized companies who have to compete for workers.

A new complaint with the FTC alleges that Toyota is engaging in false and misleading marketing of its vehicles, leading to consumer confusion over how “electrified” they really are.

For those waiting on an all-electric Toyota Hilux pickup, you may have to wait a little longer. Toyota Europe’s light commercial vehicle sales head, Emmanuel Beaune, suggested that a 100% electric Hilux pickup was still just under investigation.

Love it or hate it, Toyota seems to be moving forward with its plan to add a manual transmission simulation to its electric cars, complete with engine revving noise and lots of jerky feels. A new patent application shows a system with up to 14 pseudo gears to enhance the zero-emissions driving experience and maybe convert some manual-loving drivers over to the EV side.

Toyota unveiled its slick electric Sport Crossover concept for the first time in Europe on Monday. The new fastback EV, made with China’s BYD, will launch in 2025.

Cheaper EVs are on the way. Toyota’s new Urban electric SUV Concept will challenge the affordable Volvo EX30 as the brand’s cheapest EV yet.

The 2024 Toyota bZ4X will cost slightly more than the previous model. To sweeten the deal, Toyota is already offering a special financing rate.

Toyota is securing substantial funding as it looks to catch up in the EV race. Sources close to the matter say Toyota and its affiliates will sell a stake of around $4.7B in Denso, the second-largest global auto supplier.