Although the company maintains that internal combustion engines (ICE) still have a role to play, it said it will be shifting a large part of its focus to traditional hybrid vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and other engine conversions over the next few years, as far as the SA market is concerned.

The biggest news is that Toyota will be launching a new, mildly hybrid Hilux and Fortuner in early 2024 consisting of the standard ICE combined with an integrated starter generator and 12V-48V battery.

The company will also be introducing the Toyota Crown to South Africa this year. This crossover Crown variant is powered by a 2.5-litre, parallel-hybrid drivetrain with an output in the neighbourhood of 170kW and a fuel consumption of under 5.0L/100km.

Another NEV addition to the local market from Toyota will be a hybrid version of the new Urban Cruiser.

It is also rumoured that the plug-in hybrid RAV4, Lexus NX and RX are on their way.

Toyota has said that owing to the current scarcity of electricity on the African continent, that BEVs won’t be a practical solution yet for local consumers.