With 52 years of local assembly experience, UMW Toyota recently announced that they will be expanding their assembly plant to in order to prepare to mass produce Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) has committed to deliver ‘mobility for all’ and produce ‘happiness for all’ through its commitment towards a ‘Clean, Safe and Secure Society’.
In order to achieve this, TMC has promised to be carbon neutral by 2050 in a practical and sustainable manner. One of the way for Toyota to achieve that is Toyota will be introducing a full line-up of Low-Emission Vehicles through its electrification plans. Apart from electric vehicle, Toyota will be looking to reduce carbon emission through different processes such as manufacturing, transporting, operating, fuel and/or charging, and recycling and disposal of vehicles.
Toyota has been developing the Hybrid Electric technology for the past 20+ years. Up till now, Toyota has sold more than 17 million Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), Battery-Electric Vehicles (BEV), and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) worldwide. With the 17 million cars sold in the past 20 years, Toyota has managed to remove an estimated 140 million tonnes of CO2.
By 2030, Toyota expected to sell 8 million electrified vehicles. In April this year, Toyota announced an electric vehicle strategy that will result in 15 new Battery-Electric Vehicles (BEV) released by 2025. In total, Toyota is committed to have 70 electrified vehicle models by 2025, including vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel-cell electric, battery-electric, and hybrid electric, towards offering a range of “diverse choices” for its customers.
Under Toyota’s strategy, Toyota has been investing into 4 different hybrid platform hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell. With the versatility, UMW Toyota Motor is aiming to take advantage of the different development of electric vehicle, UMW will be investing an additional RM270 million to expand their current manufacturing operations and facility to produce new and technologically-advanced generation of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV).
With the availability of locally produced Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), this will help boost the adoption of next generation powertrain with the most innovative technologies, at a price point that is practical and accessible to the greater masses.
With its sights firmly set on championing carbon neutrality in Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor’s new investment is on top of an earlier RM2 billion that went into the construction and commissioning of its new plant in Bukit Raja. Regarded as one of the most modern, most advanced and most efficient Toyota plants in Asia, the Bukit Raja facility is already well positioned at the forefront of Malaysia’s aspiration to becoming a regional automotive hub in Energy Efficient Vehicles (EEV).
The plant’s environmental footprint includes the installation of 2MW of solar panels and in its ability to collect and recycle 156 cubic metres of rainwater. It also holds the distinction of featuring the lowest Volatile Organic Compound emissions in Asia with the installation of a Regenerative Thermal Oxidiser
UMW Toyota Motor continues to be at the helm of numerous environmental action plans. In January this year, the company organized the 20th edition of its Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) program, an initiative that began 20 years ago, and has become a leading program cultivating environment consciousness and innovation amongst the youth of the nation involving schools, secondary school students and teachers.
UMW Toyota Motor acknowledges with gratitude and appreciation, the Government’ key role and support towards the development of the automotive industry, to position Malaysia as a leader in automotive advancements and to ensure sustainable development of the local automotive industry.
