Toyota CEO calls for purchase incentives for combustion engine vehicles as well

The European Union is becoming increasingly isolated with its 2035 ban on combustion engines. The three major industrialized nations – China, Japan, and the USA – have all not set an end date for vehicles powered by conventional fuels. In Japan, the largest automaker, Toyota, has emphasized for years that it will develop and sell both fully electric and hybrid models in the long term – similar to BMW's plans.

Electric cars become less polluting than combustion engine vehicles after approximately 90,000 kilometers, and even after 65,000 kilometers when powered by "green" electricity . However, very efficient hybrid models are currently superior to heavier and less efficient electric vehicles in terms of their environmental impact. Toyota's German CEO, Mario Köhler, therefore demanded in an interview with "Auto Motor & Sport" that the German government not limit purchase incentives for new cars solely to electric vehicles. "A technology-neutral, socially responsible incentive program would be sensible – especially for people with lower and middle incomes. Predictability and simplicity are crucial, not short-term, stop-and-go programs," said Köhler. "Those who drive sustainably – whether with a full hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric vehicle – should receive fair support. Ultimately, what matters is not the technology, but the actual contribution to CO2 reduction."

The German government has announced new purchase incentives, but these will only apply to battery-powered vehicles. Even without these incentives, however, battery-powered cars currently account for 20 percent of all new car sales, and this figure is rising. The German Association of Automotive Dealers (VAD) rejects purchase incentives because they would significantly reduce the residual values ​​of used electric vehicles.