Quality, safety and technology Mobility in the future

Acutely aware of the challenges mankind faces in promoting sustainable development - including the impacts of climate change, the need for alternative technologies to substitute fossil fuels and the question of mobility in large urban centers–, since the 1990s the Toyota Motor Corporation has been investing in renewing its vehicle portfolio, adapting it to a vision of mobility that has a positive impact on consumers and on the automotive industry.

As part of its Environmental Challenge announced in fiscal 2015/2016, the company has established an aggressive target: to mitigate up to 90% of CO2 emissions from new vehicles by 2050. What this means in practice is that by mid-century the company's portfolio will consist exclusively of hybrid, electric or fuel cell powered vehicles.

In 1997, TMC launched the hybrid Prius on the Japanese market, with technology that combines traditional fuels and electricity to power the vehicle. The model was the first to be produced on a commercial scale in the industry, and it provided a clear demonstration that it is possible to profitably introduce disruptive technologies in the automotive industry, driving the gradual elimination of non-renewable fuels and reducing atmospheric pollution.

Since then, Toyota has prioritized international expansion. By mid-2015,  TMC was commercializing 35 different hybrid passenger vehicles, including the Prius – which is now present in 80 markets and regions. The company's target is to achieve annual sales of 1.5 million of this type of hybrid vehicle, reaching 15 million units by 2020.

In April 2016, TMC announced it had reached the landmark figure of 9 million hybrid vehicles commercialized worldwide. The Prius family continues to lead the segment, with 5.7 million automobiles sold – 63% of the total. Toyota has commercialized more than 700 units of the Prius through its dealership network in Brazil since 2013.

9 million hybrid vehicles commercialized by TMC up to April 2016

The Prius accounts for 63% of hybrid sales

More than 700 Prius units sold in Brazil

67 million fewer metric tons of CO₂ in the atmosphereTotal global reduction in emissions resulting from use of hybrid vehicles as calculated by Toyota; there was also a

25 billion liter reduction in the use of gasoline compared with conventional vehicles

Pioneering spirit and innovation

In more mature markets, such as the Far East and Europe, TDB has experienced significant increases in sales and has further developed its mobility strategies – including vehicles that use different energy sources and provide different performance profiles in accordance with drivers' needs.

The TMC future vision encompasses three paths for mobility. The first is the use of electric vehicles, focused mainly on small cars and/or short journeys.

For transporting passengers short, medium or long distances, the company is betting on hybrid technology, alternating the use of fossil fuels and electricity in accordance with performance and speed requirements. This is where the Prius with its Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) technology is featured. The technology enables the automatic recharging of the batteries by the regenerative brakes–, using a combination of electric and internal combustion engines.

The future option with the highest impact involves the use of hydrogen fuel cells to drive vehicles like the Mirai, a four-seat sedan launched by Toyota in 2014 which represents a complete break with fossil fuels, generating energy through hydrogen cells.

Already on sale in Japan, the Mirai has a 153 brake horse power engine, which reaches 100 kph in less than 10 seconds and has a range of up to 480 kilometers.

Equipped with an electric engine, a battery, two high-pressure hydrogen tanks with a maximum capacity of 70 Mpa, a high capacity tension converter, a control center and a hydrogen fuel cell, the Mirai generates energy by means of a chemical reaction, capturing oxygen from the atmosphere and producing an electrical charge that drives the vehicle, while expelling water from its exhaust valve. The engine is driven directly by the battery, which is recharged by the kinetic energy generated when the automobile decelerates and brakes.

In March 2016, the Mirai was elected Global Green Car of the Year at the New York Motor Show. Its technology was chosen from among eight competing technologies from all over the world, taking into account the emissions factor, fuel efficiency and the use of eco-efficient technologies.