Interview By Kap Maceda Aguila
MASANDO HASHIMOTO’S first vehicle launch after taking the helm of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) was an especially important occasion as it veritably tied in with the giant automaker’s vaunted drive toward carbon neutrality. Toyota’s global push to lessen dependence on fossil fuel and its resulting ills has famously been a “multi-pathway approach,” which does not confine itself to a battery electric vehicle solution but, rather, a number of immediately deployable and viable forms. We talk exclusively to Mr. Hashimoto, who explained the company’s broad and fine strokes on greener mobility and more. Excerpts from our interview:
VELOCITY: What is the message of Toyota Motor Philippines with the stoppage in selling the pure ICE (internal combustion engine)-powered Toyota Corolla Cross?
MASANDO HASHIMOTO: When we launched this model four years ago, we were quite surprised by its sales performance. It’s been well appreciated and accepted by the market. This C-segment is a kind of volume mainstream category for us. We decided that in this main area, we need to accelerate our hybrid or electrified strategy more. That is why we decided to focus only on the hybrid lineup this time. That is the background.
TMP has been growing the number of models where there are only hybrid options like in the case of the RAV4, Camry, and Corolla Altis. Are you going to continue doing that, and how do you see the market reception? We of course have to remember that Toyota is the number-one brand here. Do you think that with the increased number of hybrid models, you can still realize the volume? This assumes that more Filipinos are going to choose hybrids.
That’s a very good question. After we (Lexus and Toyota) sold around 7,000 hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles last year, we want to double this figure this year, at least. That is our aim and ambition. So, considering those things, we need to expand our lineups like in the Corolla Cross. Probably, in the B-segment or small, compact segment we have to have more options to the customers. Some customers want to have more affordable (models); some are very interested in carbon neutrality. We have multiple options; that is our approach to the customer.
What do you say to customers who ask why Toyota isn’t releasing a battery electric vehicle (BEV) here?
At the moment, Toyota and Lexus are selling two models of BEVs which are the UX EV (see article on the right) and RZ EV. We are now making a kind of first step in this new area. I say new because in the case of the BEV, it needs the infrastructure first then the car later. We need to monitor and keep watching the momentum of the charging station infrastructure rollout, so that people can adapt, society can adapt to a wider range of the BEV product in the future. We have ICE-powered models, we have hybrid models, and we have battery electric models. TMP now is a full-lineup OEM brand we can have such a transition technology until the time we are fully and enjoying the infrastructure in the future.