Automotive News Canada - January 2017 - V2 - 11

* JANUARY 2017

Toyota clings to hydrogen dream, says hybrids will do for now
Battery-electrics face
hurdles and 'aren't
what the market
wants,' but Toyota won't
overlook them either
By STEPHANIE WALLCRAFT
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

AS THE INDUSTRY EDGES
closer to zero-emission vehicles, Toyota Canada is looking
to hydrogen-fuel-cell technology
as the answer to one day achieving that goal, says president and
CEO Larry Hutchinson.
"That is, in our opinion,
the next big step toward greenhouse-gas reduction and in the
end, probably the solution to it,"
Hutchinson says.
But having said that, "it
doesn't mean we don't also
hedge our bets with battery-electric vehicles." The Prius Prime
plug-in hybrid arrives this
spring.
However, Toyota views
hybrid technology more as an
interim solution Hutchinson
said in an interview.

BRIDGE TECHNOLOGY
"We think it's a good, important technology, and you'll see us
broaden that out as the years go
by because we think it is a good
in-between step," he says, however, "we see the long-term play
as fuel cell. We think that's the
right and most efficient way to
go."
On top of the arguments
that favour fuel-cell technology for its quicker refueling
time, Hutchinson also says that
today's battery-electric vehi-

cles are not able to address the
demands of many buyers.

REPLACING EFFICIENT VEHICLES
"The only opportunities
to put (battery-electric) technology into vehicles are to
replace pretty efficient vehicles," Hutchinson says. "Nissan,
Chevrolet, whatever, they're
replacing compact cars. They're
very efficient anyway [when]
the majority of demand in the
marketplace is in SUVs and
trucks."
Hutchinson also says that
the benefits of battery-electric
vehicles aren't necessarily great
enough to offset the hurdles

against them.
"Battery-electric vehicles
probably have a role, but the
majority of the real improvement in greenhouse gases is
going to come
from hybrid,"
he said.
"We've sold
about 16,000
hybrids (in
2016). If you
say that's
a 30-per-cent reduction in
greenhouse gas, that's equivalent to about 5,000 electric
zero-emission vehicles being
put in the market."- ANC

Toyota is steadfastly of the opinion that hybrids and even
battery-electrics are the stepping stones to hydrogen power.
( P H O T O S : T O Y O TA )

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Toyota dials out
Trump talk when
it comes to trade
TOYOTA CANADA PRESIDENT
Larry Hutchinson remains optimistic in the face of mounting
pressure on the North American
Free Trade Agreement under
the incoming administration
of United
States
President
Donald
Trump.
"We
don't really
know what
the U.S.
administration will
do as far
Larry Hutchinson
as trade,"
Hutchinson expects "continuing strong
says. "I
think time business relationships" with the
will tell
what comes United States.
out there.
But the bigger point to us is
we really think the Canadian
and the U.S. economy are intertwined, not just in auto but in
many industries.
"There's always rhetoric, and
then there's reality. We're optimistic that the reality will be
conducive to continuing strong
business relationships with
Canada, and that's frankly what
our expectation is." - ANC

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - January 2017 - V2