The discourse on the future of automobiles is constantly evolving. Indeed, if we believed a few years ago that all cars would be electric, the vision of the future is quite different today.
Due to a lack of manpower and materials, several manufacturers have had to resort to other solutions while waiting for technologies to improve. For its part, Toyota believes that there is still hope for the internal combustion engine and that it can continue to be improved. Needless to say, as an old-school automotive journalist, I share the same opinion.
Numbers speak for themselves.
Toyota sold more than 11,230,000 vehicles worldwide in 2023. Of this number, just over 100,000 were electric models. The consistency is quite shocking here, even though the decline in popularity for electric vehicles is far from the only factor to consider. I still believe that electric motor technologies will improve, but for now, it is necessary to continue offering more efficient internal combustion engines, and Toyota seems to be working in that direction. It is actually Akio Toyoda himself, the president of the brand, who made this statement.
During a press conference, Toyota's president mentioned that he firmly believes that electric vehicles "will never represent more than 30% of the market share, regardless of technological advances." However, he mentioned that the other 70% could be mostly comprised of hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.
A multitude of solutions.
According to Toyota, there doesn't seem to be a magic solution for the future of the automotive industry, but rather a multitude of options. In fact, the manufacturer believes in the diversity of powertrains. We mentioned hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles earlier. Who knows, perhaps other technologies will come into play in the coming years! Moreover, biofuel, whose potential remains enormous, should not be excluded. Today's combustion engines are more efficient than ever. Thus, the idea of being able to use biofuel to replace gasoline is perfectly conceivable. Some manufacturers have even decided to promote it through motorsports, as is notably the case with Porsche.
Needless to say, I am particularly excited to see the new engines that Toyota will offer us, especially with its latest creations such as the Tundra's V6 or the turbocharged engine of the Corolla GR.
Jean-Sébastien Poudrier
