Hybrid Surge: Toyota Australia Eliminates Gasoline Engines From Key Models

As part of its efforts to become carbon neutral, Toyota is eliminating the gas-only option from more than six of its popular models in Australia. Hybrid emphasis is a response to strong consumer demand, according to the business.

More than 50% of Toyota's sales in Australia will be HEVs and BEVs by 2025, according to the brand. For example, the Corolla, Camry, Corolla Cross, RAV4, and Kluger SUVs in the Australian range no longer offer the ICE-only engine option.

These new models are available in hybrid form as well. Australia no longer sells the Prius, an innovative hybrid vehicle, and there are no plans to bring it back anytime soon. The performance-oriented Gazoo Racing range, which includes the GR 86, GR Supra, GR Yaris, and GR Corolla, is not subject to Toyota's new hybrid-only rule since it is not yet electrified-compatible.

Even though the Toyota HiLux truck received an update that included a mild-hybrid diesel, the company has confirmed that manual transmissions will still be available. Additionally, this method is applicable to the mechanically similar Fortuner SUV, the whole range of Land Cruisers (J70, J250, J300), and the HiAce/Granvia vans.

According to Sean Hanley, VP of sales, marketing, and franchise operations at Toyota Australia, the demand for hybrids in the country is consistently booming. Hanley explained that the company made decisions that would affect sales of gasoline-only vehicles because they were confident in HEVs' eventual dominance as the engine of choice for most passenger cars and SUVs in response to their increasing demand. Also, he said that in 2023, the proportion of Toyota sales that were HEVs hit a record high of 33.5%, and in the first half of 2024, it jumped to 46.6%.

“So far this year, our total HEV sales have more than doubled to 46,821 vehicles compared with the same period last year, with all models continuing to attract strong demand. Overall, we have now sold more than 430,000 HEVs in Australia since launching the original Prius in October 2001,” Hanley said. Reiterating its commitment to the development of combustion engines as part of its multi-pathway strategy, Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda recently issued a joint statement.

New 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline powertrains are in the works at the Japanese manufacturer. Specifically, Toyota is designing these engines to be compatible with electrification and alternative fuels.