There are some signs that this stubborn refusal to enter the race towards electrification may be starting to crack.
When Toyoda stepped down as CEO and Koji Sato stepped up, the former CEO admitted – as reported by Reuters – that he is a ‘relic’ from an older generation.
Media reporting, including in pro-corporate outlets, has shown that shareholder criticism of the company’s negative climate lobbying has become increasingly mainstream, leading to the company making new announcements on electric vehicles and batteries, including on the eve of the AGM.
The new CEO Koji Sato is not yet publicly criticizing electric vehicles to the same extent as his predecessor, and there may be hope that he will not seek to lobby against policy measures to ban fossil fuel vehicles and to promote clean air regulations. We are, however, yet to see concrete policy shifts.
Toyota must commit to selling 100% clean, fully electric cars. They must stop lobbying governments against making the changes we all need. That means supporting policies that push for fully electric cars and not trying to sway emissions regulations.
Electrification in transportation is vital if we want to reach the necessary climate goals to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change and bring fossil fuel emissions down. Toyota’s global economic influence as well as its political influence within Japan places it in a unique position to incite the investment and urgent action we need. By supporting, rather than blocking, electrification, Toyota has an opportunity to truly lead us into the future.
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Toyota will not go from laggard to leader overnight but our advocacy and work with partners has helped plant the company on the global greenwashing radar, including for the media, and the challenging the company over its dodgy climate lobbying will continue.
