Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is dissatisfied with the approach of the Japanese government, which wants to push electric cars in an effort to achieve carbon neutrality. According to him, this could mean a loss of about 80% of the cars produced for the country’s automotive industry, ie 8 million units, and about 5.5 million jobs by 2030.
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Government plans want to reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by producing only electric cars. Toyoda argues that the plan should also take into account that car production is a key element of the local economy.
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“In an effort to achieve carbon neutrality, the enemy is carbon dioxide, not internal combustion. To reduce CO2 emissions, we need to have practical and sustainable initiatives that are in line with the situation in different countries and regions, ”says Toyoda.
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Once conventional cars are banned, automakers will have two options – to build them outside of Japan, or to stop producing them altogether, says Toyoda. “If the government says internal combustion engines are the enemy, we will not be able to produce almost any cars,” he says.
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His words are very similar to what Hildegarda Müller, chairwoman of the German VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie, Association of the Automotive Industry), said in the past. It was said that “the problem for the climate is not the engine, but its fuel.”
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Toyoda adds that hybrid cars are also a significant shift towards carbon neutrality. According to him, the reason is the fact that they are more affordable and can be used even in markets where the charging infrastructure is lousy.
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