As the global shift to EVs = electric vehicles accelerates, Toyota Motor Corporation President Tsuneharu Sato emphasized in an interview with NHK that Toyota Motor Corporation will respond to different circumstances in each region by promoting an "all-round strategy" that includes not only EVs but also hybrid vehicles.

Regarding the decarbonization of automobiles, President Sato stated, "For example, there are regions in Asia where rapid electrification is difficult, so the important thing is that it is possible to achieve carbon neutrality while taking into account social infrastructure and energy conditions."

"There are regulations and requirements according to the different circumstances of each region, so it is important to have their own solutions," he said, emphasizing the idea of promoting an "all-round strategy" that introduces not only EVs but also various types of vehicles such as hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles that run on hydrogen.

Regarding trends in the EV market, President Sato stated, "Our basic understanding is that needs and progress are a little faster than expected, and further efforts are needed to address them," and expressed his intention to accelerate battery procurement and the development of production systems to achieve the goal of selling 2026.150 million EVs a year worldwide by <>.

In addition, President Sato recently announced that EVs from Japan manufacturers and other organizations are not eligible for the new tax incentives for EVs announced by the U.S. government, and said, "We must accept that expectations for EVs are rising in the United States, and we will be prepared to adapt firmly to the North American market."

New EV tax incentives in the U.S. Japan automakers plan to promote local production

Regarding the new tax incentives for EVs by the U.S. government, Japan automakers have said that they will continue to strengthen local production of EVs as they have done so far.

On April 4, the U.S. government announced EV models that qualify for tax incentives, and at this time, models from Japan manufacturers are not included.

On the other hand, in March, the U.S. and Japanese governments signed an agreement on important minerals, which granted new preferential treatment even if the processing of important minerals used as the material for batteries is carried out in Japan if the EV is finally assembled in North America.

American Tesla models that use batteries from Japan manufacturers were also targeted this time.

The Japan automakers believe that this announcement is in line with the existing policy of the U.S. side and does not shut out foreign manufacturers.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. stated that the Leaf EV produced locally did not meet the requirements for storage battery components and important minerals, and that it "hopes to be eligible for at least some tax breaks in the future."

Other companies have already announced investment plans for local production of EVs in the United States.

Toyota Motor Corporation aims to start operations in 17 and will start production of SUVs = multi-purpose sports vehicles in the United States, including the construction of a battery plant in North Carolina.

Honda will also locally produce EVs jointly developed with GM=General Motors for next year's sales, and plans to start production of new models at its plant in Ohio in 3.

The automakers will continue to strengthen local production of EVs in the U.S. in line with their previous policy.

EV penetration predicted to progress rapidly 2030 in 3 new cars in 1

In response to the trend toward decarbonization, it is predicted that EVs = electric vehicles will spread rapidly in the world's major automobile markets in the future.

According to LMC Automotive, a British research firm, of the 8151.6767 million new vehicles sold worldwide, engines accounted for 83.469 million units, accounting for 5%, and EVs accounted for only 2030% at 1.350 million units.

As for the future forecast, in 4035, out of 38.3717 million new car sales worldwide, engines will decrease to 35.3 million units, which is 1% of the total.

In comparison, EV sales increased to <>% to <>.<> million units, and one in three new cars will be EVs.

Japan automakers' EV sales targets are:

Automakers in Japan have set targets to strengthen sales of electrified vehicles, including EVs.

Nissan sold nearly 14,6000 EVs globally last year.
As a future target, 2026% of new vehicles sold in FY78 will be EVs in Europe, 23% in China,
and 15% in Japan, and
more than 2030% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. will be EVs in FY40.

Toyota Motor Corporation sold 2,4466 EVs globally last year.
The company aims to sell 2026.150 million units in 2030 and 350.2 million units in 2256.

Honda sold 2030,200 units globally last year.
The company aims to produce more than <> million EVs by <>.