UPDATED: New Toyota CEO Koji Sato Hanging Tough Under Massive Pressure To Follow The World's Misguided Carmakers Attempting To Duplicate Tesla EV Success - Hang Tough Koji Hang Tough +VIDEO
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The letter, whose signatories include Public Citizen, Center for Biological Diversity, Electric Vehicle Association, GreenLatinos, Greenpeace Japan, Sierra Club, and members of the Latin American Association for Sustainable Mobility, called on the automaker to shift to building solely EVs in the U.S. and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035.
“As incoming CEO, you have the opportunity to change course on decades of harm and deceit caused by Toyota and lead the industry toward its electric future,” the letter reads. “With no tailpipe emissions, electric vehicles are better for our health and essential to keeping our planet livable.”
Under the current CEO Akio Toyoda, the company’s environmental strategy revolved around lobbying to delay electric vehicle (EV) adoption and fighting for weaker fuel efficiency standards set forth by the Trump administration. The company’s efforts earned it the worst ranking among automakers on climate policy for two years in a row.
“As Mr. Sato takes over Toyota, he has an opportunity to reimagine the future of global transportation,” said East Peterson-Trujillo, clean vehicles campaigner with Public Citizen. “Committing to a rapid transition toward EVs must be central to his plans. Toyota is not only a laggard in EV production, but the company has actively fought measures to make EVs more available and affordable. Mr. Sato should reverse course and lead Toyota into a zero-emission vehicle future.”
In addition to calling for a complete transition to EVs, last week, Public Citizen launched a campaign to push Toyota to build out a greener, more equitable supply chain for its vehicles.
In the letter, the groups call on the automaker to:
- phase out internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and plug-in hybrids) in the U.S. and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035;
- align advocacy and lobbying with the goal of phasing out internal combustion engines, and be a voice for 100% renewable energy economy-wide;
- require 100% renewable energy use throughout its supply chains globally by 2035;
- by 2025, sign a procurement commitment for fossil-free primary steel and commit to source 100% fossil-free steel by 2050;
- require responsible sourcing of its battery minerals, and develop battery design that allows for easy reuse and recycling of minerals;
- establish a clear commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, which should be extended to your suppliers.
Sato is set to take over the company on April 1, 2023.
Additional signers provided the following quotes:
“The transition to electric vehicles is a unique opportunity to reimagine the auto supply chain that Toyota should not miss. As a key buyer of premium steel, automakers like Toyota can play an outsized role in pushing the steel industry to reduce pollution and invest in clean production,” said Hilary Lewis, Steel Director, Industrious Labs.
“Latin America is a region that is ready for zero emission mobility, it is essential that vehicle suppliers such as Toyota commit to producing 100% electric vehicles, to accelerate technological change and allow people to have greater options in the market,” said Silvia Rojas, executive director of the Costa Rican Association of Electric Mobility and president of the Latin American Association of Sustainable Mobility.
“As the world grapples with the climate crisis, it is imperative for our planet’s future that the automotive sector fully embraces the transition to electric transport. Toyota was once recognized as a pioneer in eco-friendly technologies and promoting environmentally responsible practices; it must become a champion of electric transport if it is to reclaim its position as a leader in this critical area,” said Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive Officer at New AutoMotive.
“The IPCC says only swift and drastic action can avert irrevocable damage to Earth. Is Koji Sato ready for his new job?” — Yohanna Briscoe, Acting Executive Director, Ekō
“Currently, electromobility has become a key topic in the world of transportation. It is crucial for Toyota to accelerate and implement electromobility in Latin America, a region that still has great potential for growth in this field. They have the necessary experience and technology to lead this transition in the region, and the implementation of electromobility can have a positive impact on the economy and employment in Latin American countries,” said Rodrigo Salcedo Campino, Vice President of the Chilean Electric Vehicle Association (AVEC).
“Mr. Sato is inheriting a legacy of reluctance to manufacture electric vehicles, at a time when the US and many countries are moving towards widespread adoption. If and when he chooses to improve Toyota’s laggard position – on producing EVs, making them affordable, and cleaning up the supply chain – will mark how the brand is viewed for decades to come. Twenty years down the road, will we know Toyota as a company that resisted change, or a leader in clean cars? The choice is his, and we’ll continue our work pressuring the company to make the right one.” – Katherine García, Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director March 30, 2023
Dear Mr. Koji Sato,
The undersigned 54 consumer and environmental groups representing millions of supporters from 26 countries write to ask that as the incoming CEO of Toyota, you commit to phase out all internal combustion engine vehicles in the U.S and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035, and end Toyota’s anti-climate lobbying immediately upon assuming your new role.
Under your predecessor, Mr. Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation lobbied to delay electric vehicle (EV) adoption so rigorously that the company was ranked the most obstructive automaker in the world on climate policy for two years running. Toyota’s commitment to sell 3.5 million all-electric vehicles per year by 2030 would only account for one third of your company’s current vehicle sales, despite surging consumer demand for EVs. Over 50% of car buyers globally say they want their next car to be electric. EV sales jumped from 3.2 million in 2020 to more than 10 million per year in 2022.
Toyota’s refusal to lead a rapid transition to electric vehicles as well as advocacy against EV policies also harms consumers. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels is responsible for one in five deaths globally. With no tailpipe emissions, electric vehicles are better for our health and essential to keeping our planet livable. Increasingly, zero-emission vehicles are also required by law, pushing the market more rapidly towards its inevitable shift away from internal combustion engine cars.
As incoming CEO, you have the opportunity to change course on decades of harm and deceit caused by Toyota and lead the industry toward its electric future. In addition to Toyota’s aggressive opposition to EVs, the company has cheated on emissions testing and executives have overstated the benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)s as shown by recent research indicating that PHEVs’ real-world fuel consumption and carbon emissions are on average three to five times higher than expected.
As CEO of Lexus, you led electrification and publicly pledged to meet industry-leading standards. We call on you as incoming Toyota Motor Corporation CEO to immediately commit to:
- phase out internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and plug-in hybrids) in the U.S. and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035;
- align advocacy and lobbying with the goal of phasing out internal combustion engines, and be a voice for 100% renewable energy economy-wide;
- require 100% renewable energy use throughout your supply chains globally by 2035;
- by 2025, sign a procurement commitment for fossil-free primary steel with a steel producer and additionally commit to source 100% fossil-free steel by 2050;
- require responsible sourcing of your battery minerals, and develop battery design that allows for easy reuse and recycling of minerals;
- establish a clear commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, which should be extended to your suppliers.
Sincerely,
Public Citizen, United States
350 Pilipinas, Philippines
Action Speaks Louder, Australia
Asociación Argentina de Vehículos Eléctricos y Alternativos (AAVEA), Argentina
Asociación de Emprendedores para el Desarrollo e Impulso del Vehículo Eléctrico en el Perú (AEDIVE), Peru
Asociación de Movilidad Eléctrica de El Salvador (ASOMOVES), El Salvador
Asociación de Movilidad Eléctrica Dominicana (ASOMOEDO), Dominican Republic
Asociación de Vehículos Electricos de Chile (AVEC), Chile
Asociación Ecuatoriana de Movilidad Eléctrica y Sostenible (ASECMOVEL), Ecuador
Asociación Paraguaya de Vehículo Eléctricos (APVE), Paraguay
Austrian Sustainable Mobility, Austria
Better New Zealand Trust, New Zealand
Brazilian Association of Innovative Electric Vehicle Owners (ABRAVEI), Brazil
Center for Biological Diversity, United States
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, United States
Clean Cities Campaign, Europe
Coltura, United States
Costa Rican Association of Electric Mobility, Costa Rica
Earthjustice, United States & International
Earthworks, United States
Ekō, United Kingdom
Elders Climate Action, United States
Electric Vehicle Association, United States
Electric Vehicles Promotion Foundation (FPPE), Poland
Enter Nusantara, Indonesia
Environmental Health Coalition, United States & Mexico
Environmental Working Group, United States
GreenLatinos, United States
Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Australia & Pacific
Greenpeace Japan, Japan
Industrious Labs, United States
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Philippines
League of Conservation Voters, United States
Les chercheurs d’air, Europe
Mighty Earth, United States
Movilizatorio, Colombia & Mexico
New AutoMotive, United Kingdom
New Weather Institute, United Kingdom & International
Oil Change International, United States
Project Green Home, United States
Provincial Electricity Authority, Thailand
Rainforest Action Network, Japan & United States
Rapid Transition Alliance, United Kingdom
Respire, France
SanDiego350, United States
Savesun co.,LTD, Thailand
Sierra Club, United States
Smart Energy Council, Australia
Society for Threatened Peoples, Switzerland
Stand.earth, United States, Canada
SteelWatch, International
The Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health (SoCalCOSH), United States
The Sunrise Project, Australia
Trottier Family Foundation, Ca
