Car importer Toyota being ranked last on “Strategic Vision” for electric vehicles (EVs) should come as no surprise to Australian policymakers, Greenpeace Australia Pacific said today.

The 2022 Global Automaker Ranking report from the International Council on Clean Transportation rates how the world’s largest auto companies stack up in the transition to electric vehicles.

Evaluated across a range of metrics, including current fleets and production processes, stated future plans, policies, and priorities, Toyota is ranked at the very bottom of the list on its “strategic vision” and as a “laggard” among its competitors.

“Strategic vision” is rated by how focused automakers are on zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in their longer-term planning by:

  • the extent to which automakers have set long-term targets for ZEV sales share consistent with what is needed to keep global warming below 2°C
  • Total announced investment in ZEV research and development, ZEV and battery manufacturing sites and infrastructure, relative to company size, and
  • The degree to which each automaker’s top executive’s pay is tied to progress in EV development (spoiler alert: for Toyota, this is listed as ‘zero’).

“Today’s report again confirms that Toyota is putting the brakes on any ambition for an electric vehicle transition,” Greenpeace campaigner Joe Rafalowicz said today.

“Toyota continues to put profit ahead of the health of Australians, and our precious environment. Today we learn that Toyota executives aren’t even being incentivised to shift to electrification.

“As the transition to electric vehicles accelerates, Toyota and other slow-movers risk being left behind.”

With the Federal Government having committed to establishing fuel efficiency standards, the report comes as the Government today wraps up its six-week consultation on the efficacy and strength of future standards.

“Australians clearly want better access to more electric vehicle options at different price points. The Federal Government can play a significant role in this by implementing strong standards without loopholes or dodgy accounting tricks, and by making a necessary shift away from petrol hybrids,” Mr Rafalowicz added.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific understands that Toyota is a powerful player within the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the FCAI has been driving a co-ordinated lobbying campaign among policymakers to limit emissions cuts from vehicles and to downplay the role of electric vehicles.

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