Akio Toyoda Wants Gas Engines, Not Electric Motors

Akio Toyoda—racing codename Morizo—has long been a champion of gas propulsion and embedding driving fun into vehicles.

Though not everything Toyota sells necessarily has heart or soul, Toyoda certainly has drawn a line in the sand to make a point that he wants Toyota to always offer vehicles that offer driving excitement, available for new and experienced enthusiasts alike. And now we know part of the reason why: Morizo is scared of an all-electric future.

Even though Toyota has long been the hybrid champion of the world, with the likes of the Prius and RAV4 Hybrids ruling so much of the scene, the brand hasn't really made a big push into the fully electrified market the way other companies have. Undoubtedly some of this is due to Toyota being a slower-moving organization as a whole—which has helped their vehicles develop and maintain a reputation for durability and reliabilit— and some of it might be by design.

CarWow recently asked Akio Toyoda what worries him about the future of the automotive world, and he succinctly said his concerns are primarily related to all-electric cars:

“Everybody is shifting to BEVs, this is the biggest fear for me. [...] Three or four years ago, I was the only one to say to the media that I love smell, I love sound and I love engines, and I want to keep the jobs for engine suppliers. But it seems to me that I’m the only one. I feel very alone.”

This news comes amidst a fairly turbulent time in the automotive world, in which automakers and buyers alike are having to choose from powertrain options in varieties and nuanced ways they never have had to before. Even within Toyota's USA catalog, there are gas-only offerings, hybrids, and fully electric vehicles. Many models have the option of multiple powertrains.

Toyoda does realize that while his brands' best interests (or at least main priorities) may not necessarily be one and the same, he can at least see that there's a need for alternative propulsion. If nothing else, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are an important part of Toyota's financial model, even if that's not what gets Morizo out of bed in the morning. In speaking with CarWow, he also said, “The automobile is my toy [...] I want to make the car which I want to keep in my garage. If I have to make only carbon-neutral cars, it’s not exciting.”

Bear in mind that Toyota is a true driving enthusiast, an actual racer, and is largely responsible for the GR brand as a whole, all of which is to say his sentiment towards EVs should be taken with a big grain of salt. Electric cars certainly have their place in the world; they just might not be right for Morizo's world. That's more than fine with us.

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