UMW Toyota Motor Set To Make Announcement On Hybrid Plans

First off, no, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) was not that specific in its message. In fact, it was quite coded. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift”, it said, and subsequently invited Malaysians to follow it on a journey that will give them the opportunity to experience a part of the future, today.

Its press statement stated that it would be an experience that will inevitably become a life changing one, and was accompanied by a series of teaser images. The teasers contained terms like “silence”, “harmony”, “energy”, “endurance”, and “power”, which are key ingredients in electrified vehicles. But one of its images mentioned “combining two forms of energy” for efficiency, which is a big clue for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV).

“At the risk of not revealing too much, let me just say we will be making a detailed announcement about this very soon, and it will have a big impact on not only the brand but the industry as a whole, and the lifestyle as well as choices that we have become so accustomed to,” said UMW Toyota Motor Deputy Chairman, Akio Takeyama.

“Toyota Motor Corporation continues to be at the forefront of pioneering new frontiers and it has gone one step further to cement this with a global commitment by 2050. We are faced with the prospect of an exciting new era, one that will plot the course well into the future for generations to come,” he continued.

Meanwhile, UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K. said Toyota’s commitment is one that supersedes the automotive industry, and an initiative that will involve all stakeholders if the goal is to be successfully achieved, beyond the manufacturing and assembly of cars.

“The availability of tomorrow’s possibilities today will quickly transform Malaysia’s economic and social landscape. The way forward is to commit and push ahead, even if it means breaking boundaries and challenging conventional ways,” said Ravindran.

It would be a stretch to expect UMWT to announce a foray into fully electrified vehicles such as BEV (battery electric vehicles), or FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicles) which Toyota also produces. Our charging infrastructure is not yet mature enough for mass market adoption of such vehicles. This will change, hopefully, in the near future. But in the meantime, hybrids present a transition stage towards that goal.

UMWT invites all Malaysians to mark 27th September and tune in to the announcement via the UMW Toyota website @ www.toyota.com.my or log on to its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram for full details.