Toyota touts internal combustion engine potential, even in EV age

CHIBA, Japan -- Toyota Motor Corp. spent much of last year convincing the world it is serious about electric cars, outlining a bold plan for a cutting-edge EV lineup.

Now, Chairman Akio Toyoda says there is still plenty of life left in internal-combustion engines too, even in the EV age.

“There is still a role for engines as a practical means of achieving carbon neutrality,” Toyoda said Friday at the Tokyo Auto Salon. “So, let us refine engine technology.”

Toyoda said new takes on the old tech will help win the war against carbon emissions while also saving jobs and preserving the smell, sound and feel that dyed-in-the-wool car fans crave.

“Battery electric vehicles do not represent the only way to achieve carbon neutrality,” Toyoda said. “Should we not all have enthusiasm for cars as we take on the challenge.”

Toyoda said Toyota is now starting a new project to “promote engine development anew,” and that the initiative was given the green light from CEO Koji Sato and other executives.

“You may think, ‘Engines in this day and age?’ It might sound like we are running against the times, but that is not true,” Toyoda said. “This is a necessary step toward the future.”

Toyoda declined to detail the new project, but messaging on advanced internal combustion is expected to be a key focus at Toyota this year. High performance and high-tech combustion are key elements of its multipathway approach to reducing carbon emissions.

The renewed look at engines also comes as EV adoption in the U.S. begins to slow. The latest sign came this week when rental car giant Hertz said it would sell a third of its EV fleet in the U.S. – or some 20,000 vehicles – and reinvest in gasoline-powered vehicles.

Hertz said demand for EVs was too weak and that the cars cost too much to repair.

Toyoda said many of the 5.5 million people working in Japan’s automotive sector, the country’s most important industry, rely on producing parts for internal combustion. And Toyoda repeated a mantra he often intoned during his seven years as chairman of industry’s lobbying group: The transition to carbon neutrality must be smooth to avoid social upheaval.

“These people support Japan and have the skills to make the Japan of tomorrow strong. We must never lose these people,” Toyoda said. “To all those who have made engines up until now, let us continue to make engines… I will never let all the work you have all done so far go to waste.”

For sure, there are plenty of improvements to be had in gasoline combustion, through higher compression, leaner burning technologies, better thermal management and more efficient transmissions – especially when the engines are teamed with electrified hybrid systems.

But Toyota is also developing engines that burn hydrogen. Those power plants emit only water and trace emissions, offering a clean way to keep combustion and cut carbon at the same time.

The world’s largest automaker, like many of its Japanese peers, sees battery electrics as just one route to achieving carbon neutrality. Along the way, Toyota argues, other technologies, including hybrid systems, hydrogen power and advanced internal combustion, will also play crucial roles.

Toyoda’s comments at the Tokyo Auto Salon came as Toyota and Lexus unveiled a slew of high-performance cars and concepts at Japan’s premier auto tuner and modification exposition.

Entries from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing Motorsports arm and the Lexus premium brand showcased performance and efficiency in a bid to pitch vehicles that are both mean and green.

To underscore the fun of driving, Toyota’s GR subbrand unveiled a new automatic transmission option for its popular GR Yaris hot hatch. The 8-speed Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission will be mated to the car’s 1.6-liter inline three-cylinder turbo engine and four-wheel-drive powertrain. 

Toyota said adding the automatic will “provide the fun of driving to as many people as possible.”

“The result is a car that is designed so that a wide range of drivers can enjoy sporty driving and motorsports to the fullest,” the company said in a release.

The new GR Yaris goes on sale in Japan this spring. While the nameplate is not offered in the U.S., the brand does sell a GR Corolla there that uses the same powertrain. It also comes only as a manual, prompting speculation an automatic version could also head to the U.S.

Also on tap at the Tokyo Auto Salon was an F Sport Performance special edition of the Lexus RZ 450e all-electric crossover. This lottery-limited vehicle gets aerodynamic and tuning tweaks to improve ride and handling for a sportier experience, while also cutting emissions. Only 100 will be made.

Lottery applications in Japan will be accepted through Feb. 19. The RZ 450e F Sport Performance is not to be sold in the U.S., but it could foreshadow some features that will make it there.

Lexus also exhibited a Morizo-approved concept version of the LBX, a compact crossover based on the Yaris Cross platform that replaces the UX in markets such as Japan and Europe.

Called the LBX Morizo RR Concept, it takes its name from Toyoda’s racetrack moniker Morizo.

Envisioned as a performance-packed driver’s dream, the concept features flourishes such as yellow accents to the grille, brake calipers and seat belts.

The result, Toyota said, is a vehicle embodying casual luxury “that Morizo himself could enjoy on weekends as a trusted partner, like his favorite pair of comfortable, well-worn sneakers.”