Toyota’s Multi Pathway Towards New Energy Vehicles

When the world was all excited about going fully electric, Toyota maintained a multi-pathway approach philosophy, firmly believing that there was room for more than one mobility solution, acknowledging that there are diverse energy landscapes across different markets and regions.

This is especially true in the not-so-developed countries of the world, including even some remote areas in Malaysia itself. Despite industry pressure to pursue a single route to electrification, Toyota remained committed to a practical inclusive approach.

The Toyota path to electrification and clean energy vehicles really began more than 2 decades ago with the introduction of the first Toyota Prius in 1997. The Prius was a very practical vehicle, which featured Toyota’s unique 3-motor system that serves as an electric motor drive. The electric motor drive system works to complement the power of an Atkinson Cycle engine, and features brake energy regeneration which converts kinetic energy that would otherwise have been wasted into electric energy and stores it in the battery for use later.

At a time when electric charging stations were non-existent, the Toyota hybrid system proved to be the best electric vehicle solution, in fact, today, hybrids are still considered to be the best ‘bridging’ technology for any country wishing to move to electric vehicles.

Testament to the durability and reliability of the Prius hybrid system is the high number of Toyota Prius hybrids that are running as taxis in Singapore, some of which are as old as 10 years. The Toyota hybrid system is also seen in many models across the Toyota range of vehicles, and these include the Corolla, Camry, Corolla Cross and the Innova Zenix.

The key to the success of the Toyota hybrid system is in the durability and reliability, on top of the extremely good fuel efficiency, providing hundreds of thousands of kilometers of trouble- free versatility and convenience to Toyota customers.

Worldwide, Toyota’s excellent service network and high parts availability, and excellent customer care programs also contribute to customer satisfaction.

Closer to home, let us look at the compelling reasons why customers choose to buy the cars or vehicles that they buy.

First it must be the brand of vehicle – Toyota has been around in Malaysia since the 1960’s- I remember the first Corolla KE10, but before that, I also remember the Toyota Corona 1500 and the Toyota Crown. Today, with Toyota’s vast sales, parts and service network, the brand is regarded as a leader in the automotive market, with excellent products that are durable and are highly reliable. This makes the purchase decision an easy one.

Parts and service are easily available at the Toyota Service as well as outside of the official network, making its accessibility relatively easy in comparison with other brands.  [1] [2] 

An important factor in the decision-making process is the trusted reputation of the chosen model. At Toyota, every vehicle is designed with a deep understanding of its customers’ needs and lifestyles. This customer-first approach has earned Toyota a strong track record of reliability, satisfaction, and long-term loyalty across Malaysia.

The product range is another factor – in this respect, the product range of Toyota here in Malaysia, from the Yaris to the Camry, from the Veloz to the Innova and the Fortuner, plus the 4 X 4 models like the Hilux and the Land Cruiser, all serve specific needs to a wide spectrum of customers.

Thus, customers are more likely to find a model and variant that is suitable from the wide spectrum covered by the Toyota model range.

In conclusion the above factors all add up together to provide the customer a corporate and product image of a progressive company that provides good products that will give great satisfaction to its customers.  This adds weight to the common saying “You can’t go wrong with a Toyota”.