As our society grows more environmentally-conscious, electrics cars are becoming a popular choice of vehicles.
Toyota announced its bold goal to eliminate all gas engines by 2050, shortly following Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal. I found this article interesting because Toyota was quick to use this timing for its announcement, which not only allowed Toyota to highlight the safety of its vehicles, as the greenest car company, but also quickly to establish its positioning in the market as the lead hybrid car maker as well.
“They own the green space with Prius hybrid”
– Dennis DesRosiers, head of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants
As we learned in class, it’s not only fundamental for a brand to create a distinct image in the minds of consumers, it’s even more crucial that a brand takes advantage of timing to achieve its position as the leader in a given market. In this case, Toyota is building on its image as the best hybrid car maker, and attempt in expanding into the engine-less market as the leader. It’s an interesting approach to see Toyota expand and position into the electric-car industry, especially given that the company’s original vision was not focused on electric cars in contrast to other zero-emission based car makers such as Nissan.
In terms of feasibility, Peter Cheney, national driving columnist for The Globe & Mail, thinks that if a small company like Tesla can “change the game,” big companies like Toyota would be able to improve the technology and enter the market. On the other hand, Dennis DesRosieres, head of DesRosiers Automotive Counsultants, argues that electric cars are only a small fraction of the market, especially in Canada where the demand for consumers are still relatively low. Personally, I’m not sure whether 35 years is the answer to entirely emission-free vehicles but I am optimistic about the future of electric cars and how companies are focused more on CSR and innovation.
Image Source:
http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/2012-toyota-prius-plug-in_100383571_m.jpg