TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Toyota Australia to launch three new hybrids by 2020

Toyota will lift its hybrid presence in Australia to eight vehicles in the next three years as it embarks on a more aggressive electrification strategy.

The Japanese car maker is considered a pioneer of the petrol-electric drivetrain, having launched its first generation Prius in Japan 20 years ago this week. Now, Toyota wants to increase its electric footprint, first by lifting its hybrid presence and then by entering into full-blown electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

“We will have a total of eight hybrid variants on sale in Australia by 2020,” Toyota Australia’s newly-appointed vice president of national operations, Sean Hanley, said.
Of those eight, three will be new to market – joining the existing Prius, Prius C, Prius V, Camry hybrid and Corolla hybrid. Among the new front-runners for the Australian market are petrol-electric versions of SUVs – the C-HR, RAV4 and Kluger.

“When you look at future C02 emission regulations in the future we know that something is coming so, when we do our planning, we take the most aggressive outlook without knowing,” Hanley said.

“Having such a strong parent company committed to alternative fuel vehicles, the great news for us is we can draw on other countries that already have tougher emission regulations. We will be able to draw on the products that Toyota creates to not only meet these targets in the future but frankly to exceed it.”

Hanley left the door ajar to Toyota soon importing more global products including conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles. The one factor permeating each type of drivetrain is that of government assistance and infrastructure.

Currently, one in 20 new Toyotas sold in Australia is a hybrid.

“We have to continually improve our hybrid mix over the next five to seven years. We need to take that up significantly in the future,” Hanley conceded.

“We need three things: we need government, we need the industry and we need energy. In other words, we single handedly can’t create the infrastructure; we need the might of the government, we need the support of the entire industry and we need the partnering of the energy companies to come together.”

Toyota already has models outside Australia which have been overlooked because the business case doesn’t stack up without infrastructure and government assistance. The Prius Prime and Mirai hydrogen car are chief among them.

“At some time in the future, it is a critical path to bring in these exciting new cars to market. However, until we get this type of arrangement with government and energy companies working on the same path then it is only our intention,” Hanley said. “But it is our plan at the moment to convert the Mirai to a car available for our market.”