Toyota has once again came under the radar of environmentalists for its lack of efforts towards climate performance. The Japanese automaker scored lowest overall for the second year running in Greenpeace’s annual Automotive Environment Guide for 2022, followed by Honda and Nissan, which both slipped three places from last year’s report.
The rankings are based on the manufacturers’ progress towards de-carbonizing their supply chains, phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and resource reduction and efficiency.
Related: Toyota Lambasted Again in Europe For Not Going ‘All In’ on EVs
In 2021, sales of electric vehicles more than doubled to over 5% of the global market. However, that increase wasn’t evenly distributed across all car manufacturers, according to the latest report. In the category of transitioning to “zero-emissions vehicles”, companies were ranked based on the proportion of their overall sales that were fully electric or hydrogen-fuel-cell powered.
Toyota sold the lowest number of fully electric vehicles as a proportion of their overall sales, out of the top 10 largest car companies globally. The astonishing figure which the report disclosed is:
“In 2021, 499 out of every 500 vehicles that Toyota sold were powered by fossil fuels.”
Although Toyota sells a significant number of hybrid vehicles, those cars combine an electric engine with an internal combustion engine and therefore still produce emissions. According to Violette Snow, a Greenpeace campaigner “Zero emissions vehicles were 0.2% of Toyota’s sales in 2021.”
Related: How Toyota Sneakily Spreads Anti-EV Propaganda in Japan
At the other end of the scale, electric vehicles made up more than 3% of total sales for General Motors, Mercedes, Renault, Volkswagen, and Hyundai. More than 8% of vehicles sold by General Motors (GM) were fully electric, as per Greenpeace report. A large majority of GM’s electric vehicles were sold in China, the report added.
Related: Japan Could Lose 14% GDP & Millions of Jobs by Stalling on EVs
Mercedes climbed 5 places from last year to second in the rankings, but even the best climate-performing manufacturers are still falling short of international climate targets. Greenpeace noted that although General Motors and Mercedes Benz are on top of the table, both companies however are still continuing to sell fossil fuel vehicles at a rate that exceeds the Paris Agreement goals.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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