TOYOTA CITY, Japan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said it would continue to push hybrid automobile technology, introducing six new models in 2011.
In addition, Toyota said every car it produces would have an option as a hybrid by 2020, The New York Times reported Friday.
"Customers are going to ultimately decide what kind of car they want to drive. And whatever customers choose, we will be there," Toyota spokesman Keisuke Kirimoto told the Times.
Toyota, maker of the hybrid Prius, was named leader in the 2011 Consumer Reports' Car Brand Perception Survey as the most "environmentally friendly/green" car company. But Toyota, other than an investment in California's Tesla Motors, is also determined to stick with hybrids and let other companies, such as General Motors and Nissan take the lead on all-electric vehicles.
GM introduced the Volt this year and Nissan is banking on the all-electric Leaf, which has ads in which a polar bear hugs a Leaf owner in thanks for his car choice.
"It is dangerous for Toyota to insist on sticking to its hybrid-focused strategy … it should be jumping out in front in electric-vehicle technology," said Yasuaki Iwamoto, an auto analyst at Okasan Securities.
Some analysts say consumers will continue to view all-electric vehicles with skepticism, given drivers' fear of cars running out of power before they reach their destination.
Automobile research firm J.D. Power & Associates estimates 1.3 million of 70.9 million cars likely to be purchased in 2020 will be all-electric vehicles, the Times said. UPI
