Japan bets on hybrid cars as competitors go electric
A Japanese automaker was the first to produce a mass-market, all-electric car: the Nissan Leaf. Just over a decade later, such cars make up only 3 percent of global sales, with buyers balking at their price, limited range and charging times.
That makes it hard for carmakers to turn a profit on them, and as a result the Japanese car industry has neglected electric cars while dominating the global market for gasoline-electric hybrids. Automakers around the world are making bold pledges to transition to electric fleets, and national governments are issuing mandates to increase electric-car sales or to ban gasoline-burning vehicles. Japan’s auto industry could be left behind.
Power player: Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota and chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, has accused the Japanese news media of inflating the commercial and environmental value of all-electric vehicles. His company, which is the worldwide leader in hybrid car sales, sets the tone for the industry. Toyota is also heavily invested in clean-burning hydrogen, a technology that has yet to go mainstream.
The New York Times