Toyota unveils first battery-powered electric car

This is considered a strategy that Toyotathe Japanese automaker, said it would help ease driver concerns about battery life and resale value, but raised concerns among analysts.

Gasoline-electric hybrid models are much more popular in Toyota’s home market than tram (EV), which will account for only 1% of vehicle sales in Japan in 2021. However, the electric vehicle market is currently growing rapidly, and foreign automakers, including Tesla, are racing. in this field.

Toyota will lease the sport utility vehicle electric SUV bZ4X for the equivalent of 39,000 USD for the first 4 years, this price includes insurance, repair costs and battery warranty. If the rental is canceled within the first 48 months, the tenant will have to pay a penalty.

In December 2021, Toyota said it was committed to spending 8 trillion yen ($62 billion) to electrify its cars by 2030.

Toyota aims to lease 5,000 SUVs in 2022, about the same number of EVs analysts estimate Tesla has sold in Japan by 2021.

Toyota bZ4X 2023 all-electric SUV at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, USA, January 17, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)

The automaker plans to start selling the bZ4X electric SUV in other markets later this year, and pre-orders are already underway in several European countries.

A Toyota spokesman said that the company has not yet made a decision when it will start selling the cars battery electric car this in Japan.

Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Research Institute Tokyo, said electric vehicles have become popular in Europe through rental programs offered by specialty vehicle manufacturers, and Toyota may be on the way. try to apply similar measures to popularize electric cars in Japan.

Shinya Kotera, President of KINTO, the Toyota unit that provides the lease, said that each customer’s top concern is the battery life and the ability of the vehicle to decrease in commercial value over time.

Imports of battery electric vehicles have nearly tripled to a record 8,610 by 2021. Analysts estimate about 60% of them are Teslas. However, Japanese automakers are still cautious about switching to all-electric lanes.

Toyota pioneered hybrid vehicles more than two decades ago and remains ambitious for both hybrids and hydrogen-powered vehicles, even as it is investing more to strengthen its line of battery-powered EVs. me.

Rival Nissan Motor Co, which pioneered mass electric vehicles with the Leaf launched in 2010, launched its second battery electric vehicle, the Ariya SUV, also on May 12. The Ariya will sell for the equivalent of $41,500, excluding government subsidies.

Honda Motor Co in April set a goal of rolling out 30 electric vehicle models globally by 2030.

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