For Toyota, electric is the future

MANILA: With the number of vehicles increasing at a rapid pace around the globe, both the demand for fuel and pollution have been growing drastically. With the issues, it was evident for automobile manufacturers to come with cleaner and greener technologies for their vehicles.

In the quest of the same, Toyota became the first automaker in the world to introduce hybrid technology in its vehicles during the 1990s. To be specific, it was the first-generation Toyota Prius that made its way out of the Toyota stables in 1997. The journey which started from the US and Japan, it now has travelled pretty much the entire planet with hybrid vehicles available in every automobile market.

Toyota built upon the success of the first-gen Prius and introduced the second-gen model in 2009, which was then followed by the Prius C in 2012. However, it hasn’t been only Toyota who has worked for a cleaner and greener environment.

Other automakers like Hyundai, Nissan, and many more have also joined the fleet in recent years. In the Philippines in particular, we now a quite a few options like the Hyundai Inoiq Hybrid, Ioniq Electric, and even the Kona Electric to choose from. Not to forget, the most selling electric car in the world, i.e., Nissan Leaf is also set to make its debut in the Philippines very soon in 2020.

With some of the aforementioned vehicles doing well in the country, we have also seen the likes of Honda CR-Z who had a rather shorter stay in the market and were eventually discontinued by their respective manufacturers.

So, what actually is the reason behind the low popularity and acceptance of hybrids and pure EVs? Toyota Motor Philippines believes it all lies in awareness. The population needs to become much more aware and environment-conscious in order to accept the hybrid and EV technology on a larger scale.

“As the younger generation becomes more environment-conscious, we feel like it is the perfect time to educate them about eco-friendly technologies readily available to us”, said Ms Elijah Marcial, who is the TMP Vice President. “Hybrid electric vehicles will be our initial step for a more sustainable future. Given the local landscape, HEVs are undeniably the smart and practical way to usher change in the auto industry”, added TMP First Vice President Ms Cristina Arevalo.

Also Read:- Toyota shows off hydrogen-powered Mirai at Greenbelt, Makati