TOKYO — Akio Toyoda showed off six hot rides he counts among his personal favorites.
And if you guessed they all have one thing in common, you’d be spot on in wagering that the Toyota chairman’s hand-picked collection is more eclectic than electric.
Toyoda, noted for his long-standing skepticism about full-electric vehicles, showcased his “beloved” cars at this month’s Tokyo Auto Salon. True to form, they all had gasoline engines.
On stage with Toyoda at the popular tuner and modification extravaganza were:
- A Toyota Century luxury crossover;
- A souped-up Toyota iQ ultracompact;
- A Toyota GR Corolla;
- A customized Lexus LBX;
- A Suzuki Jimny pint-size four-wheeler;
- And — drumroll please — a used Yamaha Vino scooter.
Toyoda presented them in the guise of his race circuit alias Morizo under the banner of the “Morizo Garage.”
Some of the vehicles were one-offs specially commissioned by the Toyota Motor Corp. boss — such as the LBX Morizo RR Concept, described as being as comfortable as “well-worn sneakers.”
The GR Corolla also got a special “Morizo Custom” treatment.
The executive’s top-shelf, uberpremium Century — reinvented just last year as a crossover — was no ordinary Century. It got a GRMN tag, which stands for Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring, an homage to Toyota’s long-standing participation in the grueling 24-hour German endurance race.
Also tipped for hot-hatch distinction was the supercharged iQ GRMN.
The Smart car look-alike’s 1.3-liter engine throws out about 120 hp through a six-speed manual.
The Toyota boss made sure to emphasize that he paid for all the cars himself.
Notably absent from his favs was any battery-electric car.
Not that the world’s biggest automaker has a big fleet of EVs to choose from. An all-electric Lexus RZ 450e F Sport Performance limited edition model was unveiled during the Auto Salon, but it was relegated to cramped floor space offstage.
In fact, the only electric motors in the Morizo Garage were the front- and rear-axle motors in the Century GRMN’s hybrid setup — and they are still mated to a 3.5-liter gasoline engine.
Nothing prevented Toyoda from picking another brand’s EVs to place among his favorites. The Toyota boss did, after all, choose to include a Suzuki and a Yamaha.
On one hand, both companies are affiliates. Toyota owns about 5 percent of Suzuki and just under 4 percent of Yamaha. On the other, it’s easy to assume that EVs just don’t quite float Toyoda’s boat.
The industry’s elder statesman might seem out of step kicking off 2024 with a celebration of internal combustion — especially in an age in which much of the industry has gone gaga over EVs.
The U.S. alone will see 25 new electric models go on sale this year. Several brands will be launching their first EVs of the modern era for Americans, including Acura, Dodge and Jeep.
But on a global scale, there are many markets where people don’t have reliable access to electricity, Toyoda notes. Battery-electrics will take longer to catch on there, if they ever do.
“No matter how much BEVs progress, I think their market share will be 30 percent,” Toyoda said in separate comments about EVs carried on ToyotaTimes, the carmaker’s internal media website. “So I think vehicles with engines will definitely remain.”
Toyoda’s relentless reminders about internal combustion underscore his wider message that the war against carbon emissions must be fought on multiple fronts. Cleaner engines — especially those that burn carbon neutral fuels such as hydrogen — play a big role in the fight, he says.
“Like me, some people think: ‘I love engines!’ and ‘Their sounds and smells are irresistible!’ ” Toyoda told the Auto Salon fans thronging his company’s stand.
“Some people like battery EVs. Some say that now is the time for hybrids. And then there are plug-in hybrid vehicles and hydrogen,” he said. “The motive force could be anything. There is always one truth. The only enemy is carbon.”