Manufacturing sustainable vehicles is a top priority for most automotive companies, but Toyota seems to be adopting a different approach. The company has suggested that they can take existing vehicles and simply replace the interior components with greener parts, like electric motors.
In his speech at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said, "There are lots of people here at Auto Salon who wants to enjoy their car life with their favorite cars. Although the AE 86 conversion technology is still under development...By talking about this today with car lovers...I hope to dismiss the fear that we won't be able to drive our beloved cars when we go carbon neutral. On the contrary, there is a carbon neutral path that car lovers can take.”
According to the Associated Press, this “conversion” technology would help speed up the race to zero emissions, a goal that will not be achieved with the purchase of new electric vehicles alone.
During his presentation, Toyoda also said, “This Trueno has a hydrogen engine vehicle. However, this is not the engine from the Super Taikyu GR Corolla. We converted the original 4AG into a hydrogen engine. The Levin on the other hand, is a battery EV.”