“There is a carbon neutral path for us as car lovers!”
President Akio Toyoda emphasized these words in his presentation at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023, a custom car event held at Makuhari Messe on January 13, 2023.
Flanking him while Akio Toyoda spoke, were the AE86 Levin and Trueno, “two classic cars of yesteryear“, but still very popular among car enthusiasts today.
The two cars contained a message Akio wanted to deliver to car enthusiasts who are feeling slightly worried as the world goes carbon neutral. They may no longer be allowed to drive their beloved cars in the future because they would not be lower- or zero-emission vehicles. But at Toyota, we don’t want to leave any car lovers behind, and the AE86 Levin and Trueno that were on stage are symbols of this belief.
Akio introduced the classic cars on stage as zero-emission vehicles. The Trueno was adapted and now carries a hydrogen engine but not with the engine of the Super Taikyu GR Corolla. The original 4AG engine was converted into the hydrogen engine.
The Levin was transformed into a battery EV. The name has been hiding the EV letters for half a century, but it took 50 years to install a battery and electric motor into the Levin. The original 4AG engine was removed with the greatest care, but the manual transmission remains untouched. Clutch and shifting operation can still be enjoyed.
Many automakers are targeting a shift to battery EVs by 2030-40, but the reality is that we cannot achieve zero carbon emissions in 2050 simply by switching all new cars sales to EVs. It is important to provide options for cars that are already owned.
Lots of people want to enjoy their existing favourite cars. Although the AE86 conversion technology is still under development, by talking about this today, Toyota hopes to take away the fear that we won’t be able to drive our beloved cars. On the contrary, there is a carbon neutral path that car lovers can take.
