WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor
Corporation Chairman Takeshi
Uchiyamada predicted today that hybrid vehicles will play a
larger role in the future development of automotive propulsion
systems than widely recognized.
Uchiyamada, in remarks before the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., said that hybrids retain key
advantages that will continue to make them popular with consumers.
"Some people say hybrid vehicles such as the Prius are only a
bridge to the future. But we think it could be a long bridge and a
very sturdy one," Uchiyamada said. "There are many more gains we
can achieve with hybrids."
Toyota is working on the fourth generation of the Prius. "In
each of the previous moves to a new generation, we achieved a 10
percent increase in mileage per gallon," Uchiyamada said. "We are
committed to beating that record this time."
Toyota offers more types of hybrids than any other manufacturer.
As of March, it had sold 5 million hybrid vehicles around the
world. And the Prius alone hit a cumulative level of 3 million
sales globally in June.
But the auto industry will need to strive even harder to achieve
ambitious mileage standards established by the Obama
Administration. "Today I wish to call on the industry to sell 5
million hybrids in the U.S. by the end of 2016," Uchiyamada said.
"It's only when we put ourselves under the same kind of intense
pressure we faced in developing the Prius that we can achieve great
goals. That's what it takes. I want our industry to achieve this
goal."
Over the longer term, Uchiyamada said he was particularly
excited by a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle the company is
developing, which will have zero tail pipe emissions. Without the
issues of driving range and charging time that electric vehicles
have, "I personally expect a lot from this hydrogen fuel cell
technology," he said. "Perhaps 15 years from now, we can meet again
here in Washington and we will
know exactly which system has prevailed," he added.
In other remarks, Uchiyamada said:
--Some manufacturers are announcing vehicles that will be
completely autonomous but Toyota believes new technologies, such as
sensors that can apply brakes or control steering, should be added
carefully and in stages. Toyota embraces the goal of zero highway
fatalities but believes drivers may need to remain in control of
their vehicles for the foreseeable future.
--More industry-government cooperation is necessary to allow the
creation of Intelligent Transportation Systems in which cars can
communicate with each other and with the transportation
infrastructure to prevent accidents, ease congestion and reduce
emissions.
Uchiyamada became chairman earlier this year, succeeding
Fujio Cho.
About Toyota
Toyota, the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius, is
committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our
Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built
more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ nearly
40,000 people (more than 31,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships sold more than 2.3 million cars and trucks in
2012 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the
past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As
part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.
(NYSE:TM) For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
SOURCE Toyota