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The leadership at Toyota Australia believes in the longevity of diesel engines. Photo: Toyota. |
According to Motor1, despite Volvo recently ceasing production of its last diesel-powered vehicle, Toyota has demonstrated a different outlook on this engine option.
Although the popularity of diesel engines has declined in recent years, the Japanese automaker asserts that this type of engine still has a long future ahead.
“Despite the common comments nowadays, diesel engines are not yet dead. There is still a journey ahead, so diesel engines will not be going away anytime soon,” said Sean Hanley, Director of Marketing and Sales for Toyota Australia.
In an interview with Drive, the Toyota Australia executive affirmed that diesel remains a reliable fuel source, especially for vehicle groups such as pickup trucks and large SUVs. However, Sean Hanley believes that for diesel engines to survive, they must adapt to the increasingly stringent emission regulations.
According to Motor1, this is the reason why Toyota has just launched a mild hybrid version of the Toyota Hilux in the Australian market, combining a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with a 48V electric motor. This option gives the Japanese automaker’s midsize pickup a maximum output of 217 horsepower and a peak torque of 565 Nm.
In addition, Sean Hanley also did not rule out the possibility of the existence of an internal combustion engine running on synthetic diesel fuel. Toyota is also said to be trying to maintain the existence of internal combustion engines by testing hydrogen fuel for the GR Yaris and GR Corolla prototypes on racetracks.
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Toyota is testing hydrogen fuel to power the GR Yaris. Photo: Car Expert. |
A few months ago, Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota, also revealed that the company is developing a new line of internal combustion engines, indicating that the Japanese auto group will maintain the presence of traditional engine vehicles for a long time.
Chairman Akio Toyoda predicted that pure electric vehicles would not be able to hold more than 30% of the global car market share. About 70% of new car sales will still belong to the group of internal combustion engine vehicles, running on gasoline and diesel. Toyota also believes that synthetic fuels and hydrogen can become alternatives to gasoline and diesel in the near future.
However, Toyota will find it increasingly difficult to sell diesel-powered vehicles in the European Union markets, where emission regulations are becoming more and more stringent.
Many automakers are also starting to phase out diesel engine options from their product lines in Europe. This explains the 13.6% market share of diesel vehicles in the old continent in 2023, a slight decrease from 16.4% in 2022.
Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association also showed that in 2023, electric vehicles outsold diesel-powered cars in the European market for the first time. With a market share of 14.6% in 2023, electric vehicles, along with hybrids (holding 25.8% market share), seem to be becoming more popular choices for European customers.
Motor1 predicts that diesel engines will remain popular in commercial vehicles as well as in markets where emission regulations are not as tight as in Europe.
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