A brand new criticism filed with the USA Federal Commerce Fee accuses Toyota of deceptive customers about simply how electrified they are surely. (Replace 6 p.m.: This story has been up to date so as to add an announcement from Toyota.)
The accusation comes through an open letter from Public Citizen, which has requested that the FTC open an investigation into how Toyota markets its electrified automobiles. Particularly, it alleges that Toyota has deliberately misled customers by exaggerating the capabilities of electrification of its present car lineup in advert campaigns.
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The criticism cites a number of Toyota advertising methods, together with its “Past Zero”, “Electrified Diversified,” and “To Every Their Personal Electrical” campaigns. In these adverts, Public Citizen says that Toyota has made varied statements and interpretations that might confuse or mislead customers who see Toyota as a pacesetter within the electrified car area.
One advert marketing campaign confirmed a Toyota Prius getting struck by lightning close to the rear quarter the place a gasoline cap or cost port could be positioned, regardless of it being a hybrid. This might mislead customers by having them imagine it may be externally charged whereas a hybrid makes use of the automobile’s gasoline engine as a generator. One other exhibits an animation of a Prius driving previous a small array of photo voltaic panels, which, once more, it can’t profit from except it’s a Prius Prime.
Public Citizen additionally cites a Lexus advert marketing campaign that reportedly featured a number of combustion-powered automobiles regardless of the advert describing “electrified” automobiles. The marketing campaign additional pushes Lexus’ concentrate on “equality” between ICE and EVs in its lineup regardless of it solely having one hybrid and BEV. The report cites Philipp Dietz, the inventive behind no less than one Lexus promoting marketing campaign, figuring out that buyers view “electrical” automobiles as “one sort of electrical expertise”–which might imply that Lexus is aware of that buyers don’t view its hybrid automobiles as actually “electrified.”
To be truthful, the “electrified” time period has lengthy referred to automobiles with some type of electrification—usually hybrids. However the criticism doubles down by noting that Lexus claims its hybrids have a “self-charging electrical powertrain” and a “self-charging battery” on its web site, which could possibly be deceptive for customers who don’t perceive {that a} hybrid’s combustion engine recharges the battery. For reference, this verbiage has been banned in Norway for being deemed deceptive.
Toyota has spelled out its dedication to battery-electric automobiles transferring ahead, however that hasn’t at all times been the case. Its previous is precisely why Public Citizen says Toyota has employed these practices—that Toyota’s resolution to concentrate on hydrogen-powered automobiles quite than spend money on battery-electric energy is partly accountable. The nonprofit group stated this:
On this period of fast vitality transition, Toyota has “considerably miscalculated” its method to EVs. The corporate wager huge on the event of hydrogen gas cells over battery-powered electrical automobiles, and has continued to double down on hydrogen combustion at the same time as different automakers have acknowledged that this technique “doesn’t appear possible.”Toyota additionally dumped its stake in Tesla in 2016, simply as that firm—and EV gross sales typically—started to expertise explosive progress. Toyota’s longtime CEO, Akio Toyoda, who led the corporate for nearly 14 years earlier than stepping down in April 2023, was well-known for his dislike of EVs. Below his management, Toyota apparently held the place as late as summer season 2022 that demand for EVs “wouldn’t take off for a number of a long time.”This failure to prioritize investments in electrical automobiles has left Toyota far behind its rivals on this essential market, a trigger for panic inside the firm starting within the fall of 2022.
“Toyota’s objective is to scale back emissions as a lot as attainable, as quick as attainable,” a Toyota spokesperson instructed InsideEVs. “Past Zero is Toyota’s imaginative and prescient to achieve past carbon neutrality with our merchandise, companies, and operations; and discover new methods to make a constructive affect on our planet and society. We at present supply extra low and zero-emission automobiles mixed than every other automaker to provide prospects essentially the most selections to scale back their carbon footprint.”
Now, to be clear, there isn’t any formal motion being taken on Toyota as of at the moment. The criticism is simply that: a criticism. Nevertheless, the group that penned the letter has introduced up some legitimate factors. Nevertheless, different complaints have been made in opposition to automakers up to now over advertising phrases (cough: Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving) to no avail, so whether or not or not this criticism will in the end end in motion is unknown.
Toyota’s dedication to EVs is one thing that was a key promoting level as its new CEO, Koji Sato, took the reins from Akio Toyoda earlier this yr. Nevertheless, in October, Sato downgraded Toyota’s push in direction of EVs, noting that the automaker had a “multi-pathway method” the place it could use varied powertrains throughout its fleet—not simply electrified ones. Both manner, shopper legislation requires Toyota to promote its automobiles with out deceptive its prospects, and whether or not or not it did that might quickly result in an investigation by the FTC.