TOKYO (Reuters) -Toyota Motor Corp aims to introduce 10 new battery electric vehicle models by 2026, a senior executive said on Friday, as the Japanese automaker looks to catch up in electric vehicles.
Toyota will also set up a new, specialised unit to focus on battery EVs and is targeting annual production of 1.5 million battery-powered cars by 2026, Hiroki Nakajima, the company’s chief technology officer, said at a briefing.
The increase would mark a sharp upturn from Toyota’s current levels of electric vehicles.
The automaker, the world’s largest by sales, has pushed back against criticism it has been too slow to embrace battery-powered vehicles. Toyota argues that a mix of options – including gasoline-electric hybrids, makes more sense for its global customer base.
(Reporting by Daniel Leussink and Maki Shiraki; Editing by David Dolan and Edwina Gibbs)
