India among first markets in Toyota’s global EV launch plans

Tokyo/New Delhi, December 18 (PTI): Japanese auto major Toyota on Monday said it will launch more than ten battery electric vehicles by early 2020s starting in China, with India to be among the first markets along with the US and Europe besides its home turf.   The company said it aims to sell more than 5.5 million electrified vehicles, including more than 1 million zero- emission vehicles - battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) by around 2030.   Announcing its 2020-2030 plans for popularisation of electrified vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp said its strategy centres on a significant acceleration in the development and launch plans of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), BEVs and FCEVs.   The electrification will be across the entire Toyota and Lexus line-ups, it added. “Toyota will accelerate the popularisation of BEVs with more than 10 BEV models to be available worldwide by the early 2020s, starting in China, before entering other markets - the gradual introduction to Japan, India, the United States and Europe is expected,” the company said in a statement.   The FCEV line-up will be expanded for both passenger and commercial vehicles in the 2020s, it added. The company further said by around 2025, every model in the Toyota and Lexus line-ups around the world will be available either as a dedicated electrified model or have an electrified option.   “This will be achieved by increasing the number of dedicated HEV, PHEV, BEV, and FCEV models and by generalising the availability of HEV, PHEV and/or BEV options to all its models,” it added.   Subsequently, no models will be developed without an electrified version, it said.