Toyota hails hybrid sales for cutting emissions
Toyota New Zealand is on track to sell a record number of hybrid vehicles this year as the marque strives to cut the amount of emissions it pumps out annually.
Neeraj Lala, chief executive officer, says Toyota is on a mission to reduce greenhouse gases from its manufacturing processes through to its product offering.
Toyota NZ reports that hybrid sales increased from 1,337 in 2017 to 5,159 in 2019 and look set to climb further in 2020 with 3,627 such vehicles sold by the end of July. The company claims it sells a new hybrid vehicle, on average, 15 times a day.
As a result, the emissions profile of the Toyota and Lexus model range sold here each year has dropped. Toyota NZ says the average combined Toyota and Lexus carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions profile for the year to the end of July was 167.5 CO2 g/km, compared to an industry average across all manufacturers of 175.9g/km.
Lala says Toyota is focused on offering a hybrid version for its entire range, producing new battery electric vehicles, and investing in hydrogen fuel cell technology.
“It’s satisfying to report that the high number of hybrids sold is helping Toyota achieve two objectives – reducing our overall emissions as a brand and helping us support the New Zealand government’s target to reduce gross carbon emissions by 30 per cent [from 2005 levels] by 2030,” he adds.
“CO2 reductions are a journey for Toyota and our customers. This is why hybrids help us achieve reductions as we transition to alternatives when supply, infrastructure, and demand is ready.”
Hybrid systems capture energy from braking and from the petrol engine and stores it as electricity in a battery. The car decides for itself when it needs electric power or conventional power.
Since its release in March 2019, Toyota has sold 8,313 RAV4s, of which 49 per cent were hybrid. Toyota says it has sold 2,141 RAV4 Hybrids in the first seven months of 2020 and hybrids accounted for 81 per cent of RAV4 sales in July.
Boosting those figures has been beverage supplier Frucor Suntory replacing its sales vehicle fleet across Australia and New Zealand with Toyota RAV4 Hybrids, which it claims will help cut about 300 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the business each year.
Griffin’s Food Company adopted a Toyota hybrid fleet for its vehicle-eligible employees in July 2019 and Silver Fern Farms has a fleet of 39 Toyota RAV4 Hybrids.
“It’s great to see so many fleets adopting our hybrid vehicles in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint,” says Lala. “As a brand, we are committed to keep offering low emission options for our customers.”
