Second hybrid Toyota car

TOYOTA Motor Corp last Friday (25) launched its second hybrid car in India, a seven-seat people-carrier, as part of a broader strategy to double-down on the sale of electrified vehicles in emerging markets.

The Innova HyCross, a hybrid version of the popular multi-purpose vehicle that Toyota already sells in India, builds on the success of its hybrid sport-utility vehicle (SUV), Urban Cruiser HyRyder, which went on sale in September.

“With this offering we are confident that the expansion of eco-friendly vehicles will be ensured,” Hideki Mizuma, chief engineer at Toyota Innova, said at the car’s unveil in Mumbai.

Green investors have criticised the world’s largest carmaker by sales for slowness in moving its product line-up to all-electric, battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

But the company says hybrids make more sense in markets where infrastructure is not ready for BEVs and that it needs to offer a variety of choices

A full hybrid can be driven for stretches on electric power whereas mild hybrid technology only supplements the combustion engine to help cut emissions.