Toyota's chairman praises the combustion engine. He also doesn't believe that the electric car is the only solution. So now the Japanese are investing in CO2-neutral engines.
Toyota's chairman, Akio Toyoda, loves the combustion engine. And at the Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS), he said that Toyota is throwing money at the CO2-free combustion engine.
During the Tokyo Motor Show, where Toyota presented a new version of the GR Yaris rally car, Toyoda expressed his passion for engines and reaffirmed Toyota's commitment to developing CO2-free internal combustion engines.
"Because we believe that battery-powered electric vehicles do not represent the only way to achieve carbon neutrality, we have been working on hydrogen engine initiatives for the past three years," said Akio Toyoda.
Toyoda, who openly professes his love for the sound and smell of engines, believes it is possible to create CO2-neutral internal combustion engines.
– I often think: 'I love engines!'. 'Their sounds and smells are irresistible!' Some people like electric cars.
– Some say that now is the time for hybrids. And then there are plug-in hybrids and hydrogen. There is still a role for engines as a practical means of achieving CO2 neutrality. So let's refine the engine! Let's start such a project.
Toyoda acknowledges that it may seem paradoxical to focus on internal combustion engines in an era of electrification, but he believes it is the right way to go.
"To everyone who has made engines so far, let's keep making engines. Everyone's help will continue to be needed. I will never let all the work you have done so far go to waste."
Toyota's strategy may seem ambivalent, as they invest in both electric cars and combustion engines. They have presented 30 new concept cars that run only on electricity.
But at the same time, they have expressed skepticism about electric cars as the only solution. They have praised the Tesla Model Y and copied Tesla's Gigapress technology, but at the same time maintained their focus on hydrogen technology and now also CO2-neutral combustion engines.
Toyota's focus on CO2-neutral internal combustion engines can be seen as an attempt to diversify their portfolio and meet different needs and preferences in the market.
However, it is unclear how Toyota will achieve CO2 neutrality with internal combustion engines, and whether it will be a sustainable solution in the long term.
