On 13 February, incoming Toyota Corp chief executive officer, Koji Sato, announced that the Japanese auto giant will ramp up its battery-electric offerings by focusing on its Lexus luxury brand, Reuters reported.
Sato made it clear, though, that the company will not deviate from a long-held strategy of exploring other technologies.
The comments from Sato, who takes over the world’s largest auto manufacturer from April 1, come as Toyota has pushed back against critics who have said it has been too slow to embrace battery-powered electric vehicles.
Toyota, which popularised the hybrid technology of the Prius, has said that hybrids make better sense for many drivers, especially in markets where the infrastructure is not ready to support batteries. It has also championed hydrogen-powered cars as the future.
Sato said Toyota would accelerate its battery-electric offerings by focusing on the Lexus.
"This is not a fast pivot towards battery EVs," he said, adding that much of the problem stemmed from one of "communication" about Toyota's strategy.
"To the point that we have been slow at battery EV projects, I think around half of it is a communication issue," he said.
He said the company was sticking to a previous goal of selling 3.5 million battery-electric vehicles by 2030.
He reckoned there would be further communication in April about the strategy once his team members assumed their roles.
An engineer by training, Sato started his career at Toyota in 1992 before rising through the ranks to become chief engineer of Lexus International in 2016.
While he oversaw the creation of Lexus's first fully electric model, he did previously speak of keeping open other options for powering vehicles.
ZF Aftermarket has named Maic Dressen as Managing Director of ZF Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd and Sub-regional Head for Sub-Saharan Africa and the DomTom regions. He will lead the company’s South African operations and support its growth across the continent.
Volkswagen has marked 75 years of vehicle production and sales in South Africa with a gala event in Kariega attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, while also revealing the new Volkswagen Tengo, the third model to be built at the local plant. The Tengo will be produced for the South African and wider markets.
BAIC South Africa used the Festival of Motoring 2026 at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit to highlight both its established range and new energy vehicle ambitions. The event marked the first public appearance of ARCFOX in South Africa, alongside the unveiling of BAIC’s X55 Plug‑in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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BAIC South Africa used the Festival of Motoring 2026 at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit to highlight both its established range and new energy vehicle ambitions. The event marked the first public appearance of ARCFOX in South Africa, alongside the unveiling of BAIC’s X55 Plug‑in Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
When Volvo introduced the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric to South Africa in late 2021, the timing raised eyebrows. The country was enduring a severe power crisis, with loadshedding recorded on 200 days that year.
Three months after launching its off-grid, solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging network on the N3 corridor, Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) has confirmed plans to double charging capacity at both Charge hubs.
