Toyota Chairman Says He Loves Internal Combustion Engines And Announces Secret New Project: ‘The Only Enemy Is Carbon’
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda threw his support behind internal combustion engines during his address at the Tokyo Auto Salon performance car show on Friday.
“Engines can still play a significant role as a practical means to achieve carbon neutrality, so let’s further hone our engine technology and let’s start a project to do just that,” Toyoda said he requested last year.
Toyoda said it might sound like the company is going against the grain, but it’s a necessary step toward the future.
He said he’d heard that engine builders at the company were having trouble getting credit due to the questionable future of their profession, but told them that “I will never let all your efforts to this day go to waste.”
Details on the project weren’t shared and he said it could take some time to see results.
Toyota has been working on hydrogen combustion technology, however, which emits water vapor rather than carbon dioxide.
“Some people like me truly love engines. For us, the sound and smell of engines are irresistible,” Toyoda said, calling himself “an ordinary older guy who loves cars.”
He said the company will develop powertrains on all fronts, including hybrids and electrics.
“The future is something for all of us to build together. I want to build the future with all car lovers.”
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Toyota was likely the world’s largest car company in 2023, although final sales haven’t been reported. It finished second to General Motors in the U.S. Unlike several automakers, including GM, it has taken what it considers a pragmatic approach toward transitioning to a carbon neutral future and hasn’t proclaimed that it is going all-electric anytime soon.
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Toyota is moving forward with battery electrics, however, and will soon open a battery factory in North Carolina that will supply its hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Most of its U.S. models are also now either exclusively hybrid or available with a hybrid option.
It is also working on solid state battery technology that a company executive said this week will result in a vehicle with a 750-mile range and 10-minute charge time by 2028.
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