So with U.S buyers abandoning EVs, will Toyota betting on hydrogen pay off?
Remember at the start of 2023 when Japanese automaker, Toyota, warned the world that electric vehicles (EVs) are not the future and instead focused on hydrogen and hybrid cars but everyone thought they were just clinging to tradition and laughing at them? Well, it’s 2024 and who’s laughing now?
The second-generation Toyota Mirai is a handsome sedan with many characteristics and even adopts the styling of a sports sedan. It is also the only mass-market hydrogen-powered car available today, making it one of the most unique and limited experiences in the entire automotive world. It also sold in massive numbers.
Moreover, Toyota sold more examples of the humble Mirai in the U.S. than it did of the flagship Supra last year despite the Mirai being far more exclusive and not as tried and tested as the Supra. In total, 2,737 units were delivered to customers in 2023. Supra sales reached 2,652, just over half of the 4,952 Supra units sold in 2022.
To put both numbers into context, Toyota sold 11,078 examples of the more affordable GR86 and a staggering 232,370 Corollas alone, finishing the year off with more than 1.9 million cars sold in America in 2023. Now, these numbers are not necessarily surprising for Toyota, they do sell in massive volume every year anyway.
Regardless, the final number is not all that impressive on its own, but each of those 2,737 Toyota Mirai models represents a success for Toyota’s ultimate dream of popularizing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. After Ford announced it will be cutting back on EV production in the U.S, this win is all the more sweet as well.
On top of that, the brand has long supported traditional hybrids and has recently even dabbled a little in the EV sphere as well, but its commitment to hydrogen power is not over just yet. The brand has also been using hydrogen powered vehicles for many other sectors instead of just passenger vehicles as well.
The success of the Toyota Mirai also enables the brand’s other big hydrogen-powered dream, which is a concept hydrogen powered race car being entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the Supra may not have had a huge sales year, the new manual transmission added for 2023 did boost sales a bit, no doubt.
Well, at the end of the day, I have shared Toyota’s view on EVs for a while now and just like the brand, I have also remained indifferent to the propaganda that many use to push EV sales as I believe that hybrids and hydrogen are objectively better.
