Santilli: “Full or plug-in, for Toyota the hybrid is the near future. But there is also the electric”

ROME – «Hybrid cars today are undoubtedly among the most appreciated by customers, proving the right choice made by Toyota almost 30 years ago with the launch of the Prius. Full hybrids are perfect for the Italian market, but even plug-ins, if recharged every day, have undoubted advantages in terms of management costs». Alberto Santilli, CEO of Toyota Motor Italia, explains the growth of hybrid cars in Italy and Europe, underlining however the validity of a multi-technological approach.

In Italy Toyota is a leader in full hybrid cars and among the first in plug-ins. Between the two, which will be the winning hybrid technology in the near future?

"Our approach has always been multi-technological. And so we believe that in the future there will still be many hybrid technologies. Today Toyota's full hybrid technology is certainly very popular especially here in Italy, as demonstrated by the success of C-HR, Yaris and Yaris Cross Hybrid. After all, in 30 years important progress has been made: today full hybrids guarantee 50% of electric travel, a percentage that reaches 80% in the city. So it is clear that it is a technology that marries perfectly with the characteristics of the Italian market. We are the import leader in Italy, second in market share and first in sales in 18 cities from the North to the South of the country. Results linked to the success of Toyota full hybrids that offer many advantages at affordable prices".

And what about plug-in hybrids, which could be the real middle ground between thermal and electric? Are they still too expensive to break into the market?

"Plug-in cars are clearly more expensive, because they have more expensive batteries due to their greater energy storage capacity. However, at Toyota we have tried to make the two technologies equal in terms of accessibility, offering the C-HR plug-in and the C-HR full hybrid at essentially the same price and offering the Lexus at the same rental fee for the two versions. This is because we believe it is important to make even more demanding solutions from a technological and cost point of view such as plug-ins accessible to our customers to ensure that these models have the diffusion they deserve. A Toyota plug-in now allows you to have 100 kilometers of autonomy in electric mode. And, if correctly recharged every day through a home charger, it has a cost per kilometer equal to half that of a conventional car, given that it has the possibility of using it almost always in electric mode, with tangible benefits in economic terms."

Toyota is the queen of hybrids but has recently strengthened its electric offering, despite the lack of take-off in sales of fully electric cars. Are you worried about volumes in Italy?

"Our goal is to have technologies for all customer needs. Today, electric sales in Italy are certainly still very limited, but there is a portion of customers who want them and for us it is important to be able to offer full electric models to complete our offering."

How do you evaluate the EU's moves which, despite showing some openness on technological neutrality and on fines for those who exceed the new emissions caps, still seems to be moving decisively towards a ban on combustion-engined cars by 2035?

"I think that the EU must take into account the latest technological developments and customer needs. Surely a first step, perhaps very timid, has been taken with the balancing of emissions over a three-year time frame. The hope is that not just one technology is taken into consideration, but the impact that various technologies can have in reducing CO2 emissions, which are the real enemy. Full electric is one of the solutions, but not the only one. Plug-in hybrids and e-fuels are also elements that must enter the debate to get to reconsider decisions taken years ago and perhaps a little too dogmatic and ideological".

What are Toyota Italy's goals for 2025 in terms of sales and market share? And what do you think will be your flagship models?

"The goal is certainly to consolidate what was done in 2024, both in terms of volumes and market share. For Toyota, this means being above 120,000 units and for Lexus, above 6,000. It means having a market share close to 8% and continuing to capitalize on the successes and positive reception of models such as Aygo X, Yaris and Yaris Cross full hybrid and C-HR plug-in, Lexus LBX and NX. Then we are banking a lot on the arrival of the new Rav4 and the Aygo X full hybrid, the only A-segment car with this technology that seems to be made for the Italian market, also thanks to the fact that we have many Italians who work hard for Toyota in Europe and also for Italy."