Skip advert
Advertisement
Opinion

"A pure-electric Toyota will be a real contender"

Deputy editor John McIlroy points out how Toyota's experience in hybrids is now paying off

Opinion - Toyota bZ

There was a time, not too long ago, when Toyota was automotive magnolia – ever-present, without you ever actually being aware of why. But the news pages of this week’s magazine are further evidence of a paradigm shift in the brand’s approach and fortunes: Toyota, it seems, is properly on a roll.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Indeed, as Toyota’s European chief Matt Harrison outlined to UK media last week, his dealers currently have an order bank extending beyond four months. Harrison expects to sell 1.3 million vehicles in Europe in 2022, a record increase of almost a quarter of a million vehicles in just one year.

Why has this happened? We shouldn’t discount the ethos introduced several years ago by boss Akio Toyoda, that Toyota should never make a dull car again. It took time for it to bleed through the corporate culture, but now Toyota has the GR Yaris hot hatch and the GR 86 coupe on its books – and the confidence to say that the second of those cars will be offered for just two years.

At the other end of the range, though, there’s a real feeling among the firm’s executives and engineers that while Toyota is making more interesting cars than ever before, the market has also moved towards them. That early investment in hybrid powertrains, and the vast experience gained with it, is now proving invaluable as the company rolls out cars like the small Yaris Cross and, this week, the Corolla Cross, a full-sized family
SUV with the latest electrified powertrain.

Next up will be pure-electric cars, of course, and it’s interesting to hear Toyota freely admitting that the bZ4X may not have the biggest WLTP range in the class – but that the firm has been doubly cautious about making it achievable, because that’s more useful to customers than a few more fictional miles on the official numbers. The stakes are high, but based on the evidence of the past few years, a pure-electric Toyota will be a strong contender.

Check out the latest on Toyota's first bespoke all-electric car - the bZ4x...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Editor-at-large

John started journalism reporting on motorsport – specifically rallying, which he had followed avidly since he was a boy. After a stint as editor of weekly motorsport bible Autosport, he moved across to testing road cars. He’s now been reviewing cars and writing news stories about them for almost 20 years.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Toyota cartoon hints at new MR2, Celica and Supra plus next-generation GR86
Toyota sports car teaser

Toyota cartoon hints at new MR2, Celica and Supra plus next-generation GR86

The electric sports car market could be about to gain some fresh competition
News
1 Nov 2024
Best fun cars: The most entertaining picks from £3,000 to brand new
Best fun cars - header image

Best fun cars: The most entertaining picks from £3,000 to brand new

These fun cars can put a smile on your face, as well as get you from A to B
Best cars & vans
31 Oct 2024
Toyota’s hydrogen car plan: why there should be alternatives to battery electric cars
Hydrogen fuel-cell Toyota Hilux pick-up truck

Toyota’s hydrogen car plan: why there should be alternatives to battery electric cars

We take a deep dive into Toyota’s ‘multi-path’ strategy, which focuses on making hydrogen fuel-cell technology a viable alternative to battery EVs
Features
7 Sep 2024
Toyota Proace Max van goes on sale from £41,580
Toyota Proace Max

Toyota Proace Max van goes on sale from £41,580

Toyota’s largest van is now available to order in a multitude of bodystyles
News
2 Aug 2024

Most Popular

New cars that plummet in value can make brilliant used buys
Opinion - Vauxhall Corsa-e

New cars that plummet in value can make brilliant used buys

Editor Paul Barker takes a closer look at our 2024 Used Car Awards
Opinion
20 Nov 2024
A £10k electric car with a 100-mile range would surely be a sales success
Opinion - cheap EV

A £10k electric car with a 100-mile range would surely be a sales success

Mike Rutherford thinks there would be demand for an electric car with a modest 100-mile range if it only cost £10k
Opinion
17 Nov 2024
New Jaguar logos unveiled as big concept reveal moves closer
New Jaguar logo 1

New Jaguar logos unveiled as big concept reveal moves closer

Jaguar has revealed its new logos and styling details ahead of its transition into a luxury EV brand
News
19 Nov 2024