Toyota

At the LA Auto Show, Toyota revealed its bZ Compact SUV Concept, the second fully electric vehicle from the bZ (Beyond Zero) lineup. Despite Toyota claiming “Beyond Zero,” the automaker has little to show in terms of zero-emission EV sales.

Toyota launched the global world premiere of its fifth-generation Prius from Japan this morning. The famed plug-in hybrid sees a new exterior design and will deliver a decent boost to its electric range compared to its previous generation.

Toyota can’t seem to get out of its own way lately. The Japanese automaker ranked among the “world’s most obstructive companies on climate policy” of 2022, with oil giants like Exxon Mobile, Chevron, and leading Russian oil companies.

South Korean officials and leaders from Japan are expressing concerns over the new US EV tax credit requirements that kick in at the end of the year. New reports are surfacing that Japan and South Korea will request flexibility in the rule changes. Will they get their way, paving the way for automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia electric vehicles to qualify?

Honda is shying away from the idea of adding fake manual transmissions to its upcoming EV lineup, unlike Toyota, which has filed for patents to introduce the technology.

Is the world’s largest automaker finally responding to the rapidly changing auto industry? Toyota is now considering ramping up production of its first 100% electric mass-market vehicle, the bZ4X SUV, but not until 2025, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Toyota is struggling with its shift to electric vehicles, and it is reportedly considering major changes in its EV plans driven by Tesla’s manufacturing strategy.

However, it may slow down some of its existing electric vehicle programs.

Toyota can’t seem to grasp why it’s being criticized for its lack of progress in fully electric vehicles. The Japanese automaker is making headlines Wednesday after an executive went off on a tangent defending Toyota’s carbon reduction efforts and future EV plans – the frustration comes as Toyota has come under fire for not going all in on electric vehicles.

Global automaker and hybrid zealot Toyota announced it will resume sales of its first mass-produced battery EV – the bZ4X, following a safety recall concerning risk that its wheels could fall off. Months later, the Japanese automaker appears to have found a fix to the manufacturing defect (as well as a previously undiscovered safety issue) and plans to resume bZ4X production immediately.

It looks like Toyota is still not getting the message: people want electric vehicles, not hybrids. Despite all the evidence pointing to the inevitable growth of EVs in the auto industry, Toyota insists on sticking with hybrids, claiming, “That’s our strategy, and we’re sticking to it.” Well, Toyota, you may end up being left behind as nearly every other automaker, nation, and organization is moving toward sustainable, fully-electric vehicles.

Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, are being called out again for their lack of progress with battery electric vehicles and decarbonization efforts. Greenpeace, a nonprofit organization promoting a sustainable future, released a new study finding that Japanese automakers lag behind their peers.

Japanese automaker Toyota continues to delve deeper into a Bizarro-mirrored universe in which it actually (sort of) behaves like an EV automaker. Following news earlier this week in which the EV laggards laid out an $5.6 billion investment plan to build batteries, Toyota is already making moves to convert two engine and powertrain plants near its Japanese headquarters to produce EV batteries instead.

In a strange series of events, Toyota is changing its stance on electric vehicles, as the Japanese automaker announced Wednesday it will be tripling its planned investment in its new battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

Toyota is at it again, claiming that there’s not enough demand in the United States for electric vehicles – most of which are currently suffering from months of backlog in the United States due to high demand. Even their own bZ4X has a waiting list because, well, the wheels keep falling off.

Toyota has sent a letter to bZ4X owners, offering a choice between a loaner and incentive package or full repurchase of vehicles, as the company continues to struggle with (literally) keeping the wheels on their first electric car effort.

Notably, the car’s electric drive systems are not affected by the recall – the battery and drive motor are working perfectly fine.

The EV race is heating up. Electric car sales in the US reached a new record in the first quarter, and the momentum does not look to be slowing anytime soon. Traditional automakers are spending billions to catch up to EV leader Tesla. Which legacy automakers are spending the most on EVs?

Toyota Motors is boosting its US EV capacity with a new supply agreement with Ioneer LTD’s Rhyolite Ridge mining project. According to the new deal, Ioneer will supply 4,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate annually to the Toyota-Panasonic battery venture.

Toyota has sold its 200,000th plug-in car in the US, meaning its access to the $7,500 federal tax credit will sunset over the course of the next 15 months.

The company joins Tesla and GM in no longer qualifying for credits, with Ford and Nissan also expected to hit the limit later this year.

Toyota issued a recall on 2,700 bZ4X electric cars, roughly all the ones produced to date (though most undelivered), over the potential of wheels falling off.

Toyota has unveiled a new home battery pack to provide residential backup – a product that is going to compete with Tesla Powerwall.

A recent report out of Tokyo says that Toyota is working on an SUV version of its Crown sedan, arriving in hybrid, PHEV, and fully-electric versions for its home country in addition to exports of some versions to China and North America. The Crown was the first Toyota vehicle to be exported to the United States in 1958, and it has remained a mainstay model in the Japanese market for 67 years.