Toyota on the rostrum in Europe is the victory of mild electrification | EUROtoday

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Everyone fears the Chinese however it’s the Japanese Toyota, for the second yr, the second best-selling model in Europe. In 2023, the world's largest producer – with 11.2 million autos bought (+7.2%) globally – bought 828,484 vehicles in Europe in 2023, a rise of 8% versus 13% for the market. The determine rises to only over a million if business autos are additionally counted (+7%). Volkswagen appears down on everybody with its 3.8 million (+19.7%). But behind the Japanese group there are historic European manufacturers akin to Audi, Peugeot, Skoda, Opel, Fiat, Renault, Dacia.

Electrification based mostly on better alternative

It seems like a victory for the philosophy of the corporate based mostly within the metropolis of the identical title, Aichi Prefecture. In latest years, Toyota's leaders have repeatedly expressed their opinion in favor of electrification based mostly on a broader alternative and never simply targeted on the race for battery-powered vehicles. In essence, the European Commission's option to step on the accelerator of stopping combustion engines (2035), together with hybrids, to attain the bold aims of the Green Deal. A really costly and dangerous revolution for producers. Meanwhile, Toyota goes and its secret, defined Felipe Munoz, analyst at Jato Dynamics to AutomobilWoche, lies exactly in hybrid expertise. Toyota “started more than 20 years ago, and now it is the best solution for many consumers who don't want to worry about looking for a recharge and want to spend less on fuel.”

The secret lies within the expertise and the value

Around 70% of the vehicles bought by Toyota in Europe are electrified, i.e. full hybrid, plug-in hybrid and absolutely electrical autos. In Western Europe it’s virtually 100%. Mostly these are hybrids with out plugs: Toyota's solely battery-powered mannequin, the bZ4X, was bought in simply 17,000 models in 2023, in keeping with Dataforce. In 2022 the plug-in hybrid vary was restricted to the RAV4 off-roader, this yr the C-HR crossover is added.

The success of Toyota's hybrid fashions, along with the expertise issue (appreciated by most people), lies within the value. Munoz highlighted to AutomobilWoche that the three Toyota best-sellers in Europe, Yaris Cross, Yaris and Corolla, are significantly appreciated within the hybrid model. “Hybrids are significantly cheaper than electric vehicles, despite automakers' efforts to develop affordable electric cars and despite government incentives,” Munoz mentioned.

Daihatsu recovers after scandal

Meanwhile, the subsidiary Daihatsu has restarted a part of its automobile manufacturing greater than a month and a half after the suspension of all operations in its factories in Japan, determined within the aftermath of the scandal over tampering with security checks. The firm specializing in small vehicles, the Kei automotive (a really Japanese phenomenon), has resumed producing two fashions on the plant positioned in Kyoto prefecture after acquiring approval from the Japanese Ministry of Transport.