UMW Toyota Motor To Announce Future Plans On 27 September; The Hybrids Are Coming

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has shared a date for Malaysians to take note of a major announcement. 27 September 2021 is when UMWT wants to announce its plans for the future. In its statement, the company has stated that “stepping into tomorrow today, this journey ahead promises greater excitement, silence, harmony, energy, endurance and power, an experience that will inevitably become a life changing one”.

“At the risk of not revealing too much, let me just say we will be making a detailed announcement about this very soon, and it will have a big impact on not only the brand but the industry as a whole, and the lifestyle as well as choices that we have become so accustomed to,” said UMW Toyota Motor Deputy Chairman, Akio Takeyama.

Although there is no mention of “hybrid”, “EV” or “electrification” in its statement, the teaser images shared have keywords like “zero fuel consumption”, “silence”, and “two forms of energy” which allude to hybrids. We also know from earlier this year that UMWT is investing some RM270 million into its production facilities which could make it ready to locally produce Toyota’s next-generation hybrid vehicles (HEV). Furthermore, the year 2050 was mentioned in its statement, which is Toyota Motor Corporation’s timeline goal for achieving carbon neutrality.

“We are faced with the prospect of an exciting new era, one that will plot the course well into the future for generations to come,” shared Mr Takeyama.

Meanwhile, Ravindran K., UMW Toyota Motor President, said Toyota’s commitment is one that supersedes the automotive industry, and an initiative that will involve all stakeholders if the goal is to be successfully achieved, beyond the manufacturing and assembly of cars. “The availability of tomorrow’s possibilities today will quickly transform Malaysia’s economic and social landscape. The way forward is to commit and push ahead, even if it means breaking boundaries and challenging conventional ways.”

The likely candidates from Toyota’s HEV portfolio are the Corolla Cross Hybrid, Corolla Hybrid, or perhaps even a RAV4 Hybrid or Yaris Cross Hybrid.

One way to be sure is to tune in to the announcement on 27 September via the UMW Toyota website at www.toyota.com.my or its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.