Photo: Toyota
The Toyota Aygo, first launched in 2014, is the only car Toyota sells in Europe that doesn’t come with a hybrid option. But when the company introduces the next car’s next generation, it may have no combustion engine at all.
Toyota Europe CEO Johan Van Zyl says the decision would be motivated by the need to meet the increasingly script emissions requirements of European cities.
“Some cities are applying zero-emissions zones, so we must think about the future and say, ‘How are we going to ensure that we have an electrified version of an A (minicar) — or sub-A-segment car that we’ll be able to utilize for these cities?” he asked in an Automotive News Europe interview.
In April, London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone went into effect in the city’s central section, and many other cities across Europe have already or are planning to follow suit.
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But unlike rivals such as Ford and Opel, Toyota is one of the few remaining automakers, alongside Kia and Hyundai, to remain committed to Europe’s smallest automotive segment. Through October, Toyota has sold more than 83,000 Aygo models in Europe this year.
“The Aygo has been a very good product for us in terms of conquest and bringing younger people into our brand,” Van Zyl said. “We still see it as a good segment for us to be in.”
It’s still not confirmed whether Toyota truly will launch an all-electric Aygo, but there are other factors that lend credibility to the rumor. It previously said it would launch three battery-electric vehicles by 2021 in Europe, not all of which have been accounted for; and furthermore, it currently builds the car in partnership with the PSA Group, which includes Peugeot and Citroën, both of which have stated that any replacement for its minicars would be electric.
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