A Toyota executive expressed admiration for the Tesla Model Y after the company dismantled the electric crossover.
For years, the Japanese automaker has been less enthusiastic about the spread of electric vehicles. The company has invested in hybrid Priuses – but since then has not only lagged behind in battery electric vehicle development, but has even lobbied to slow down the rollout of electric vehicles and spread misinformation about them.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, for example, said that “electric vehicles with batteries pollute the environment more than gasoline-powered cars, since in some places electricity is mainly produced by gas and coal” – researchers in several papers have repeatedly proved that this is not true.
However, after taking over as CEO of 53-year-old ex-head of Lexus Koji Sato, the company’s opinions changed in a radically opposite direction. As part of a revitalization effort to invest in battery-electric vehicles, Toyota has decided to dismantle the world’s most popular electric vehicle, the Tesla Model Y. It seems that the Japanese automaker was pretty struck by the simplicity of the architecture and transmission of an electric car.
Even though Toyota has been making cars for nearly a century, the company is having trouble making the switch to electric vehicles. The Japanese manufacturer’s first all-electric vehicle, the bZ4X, is facing recalls due to safety concerns.
The company currently appears to be trying to learn from Tesla as it plans to create a new platform to launch electric vehicles as early as 2026.
Xiaomi has registered the Modena trademark for its first car, which will go into mass production in 2024
Source: Electric
