Letter to Toyota’s New CEO Koji Sato
March 30, 2023
Dear Mr. Koji Sato,
The undersigned 54 consumer and environmental groups representing millions of supporters from 26 countries write to ask that as the incoming CEO of Toyota, you commit to phase out all internal combustion engine vehicles in the U.S and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035, and end Toyota’s anti-climate lobbying immediately upon assuming your new role.
Under your predecessor, Mr. Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation lobbied to delay electric vehicle (EV) adoption so rigorously that the company was ranked the most obstructive automaker in the world on climate policy for two years running. Toyota’s commitment to sell 3.5 million all-electric vehicles per year by 2030 would only account for one third of your company’s current vehicle sales, despite surging consumer demand for EVs. Over 50% of car buyers globally say they want their next car to be electric. EV sales jumped from 3.2 million in 2020 to more than 10 million per year in 2022.
Toyota’s refusal to lead a rapid transition to electric vehicles as well as advocacy against EV policies also harms consumers. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels is responsible for one in five deaths globally. With no tailpipe emissions, electric vehicles are better for our health and essential to keeping our planet livable. Increasingly, zero-emission vehicles are also required by law, pushing the market more rapidly towards its inevitable shift away from internal combustion engine cars.
As incoming CEO, you have the opportunity to change course on decades of harm and deceit caused by Toyota and lead the industry toward its electric future. In addition to Toyota’s aggressive opposition to EVs, the company has cheated on emissions testing and executives have overstated the benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)s as shown by recent research indicating that PHEVs’ real-world fuel consumption and carbon emissions are on average three to five times higher than expected.
As CEO of Lexus, you led electrification and publicly pledged to meet industry-leading standards. We call on you as incoming Toyota Motor Corporation CEO to immediately commit to:
- phase out internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and plug-in hybrids) in the U.S. and Europe by 2030 and globally by 2035;
- align advocacy and lobbying with the goal of phasing out internal combustion engines, and be a voice for 100% renewable energy economy-wide;
- require 100% renewable energy use throughout your supply chains globally by 2035;
- by 2025, sign a procurement commitment for fossil-free primary steel with a steel producer and additionally commit to source 100% fossil-free steel by 2050;
- require responsible sourcing of your battery minerals, and develop battery design that allows for easy reuse and recycling of minerals;
- establish a clear commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, which should be extended to your suppliers.
Sincerely,
Public Citizen, United States
350 Pilipinas, Philippines
Action Speaks Louder, Australia
Asociación Argentina de Vehículos Eléctricos y Alternativos (AAVEA), Argentina
Asociación de Emprendedores para el Desarrollo e Impulso del Vehículo Eléctrico en el Perú (AEDIVE), Peru
Asociación de Movilidad Eléctrica de El Salvador (ASOMOVES), El Salvador
Asociación de Movilidad Eléctrica Dominicana (ASOMOEDO), Dominican Republic
Asociación de Vehículos Electricos de Chile (AVEC), Chile
Asociación Ecuatoriana de Movilidad Eléctrica y Sostenible (ASECMOVEL), Ecuador
Asociación Paraguaya de Vehículo Eléctricos (APVE), Paraguay
Austrian Sustainable Mobility, Austria
Better New Zealand Trust, New Zealand
Brazilian Association of Innovative Electric Vehicle Owners (ABRAVEI), Brazil
Center for Biological Diversity, United States
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, United States
Clean Cities Campaign, Europe
Coltura, United States
Costa Rican Association of Electric Mobility, Costa Rica
Earthjustice, United States & International
Earthworks, United States
Ekō, United Kingdom
Elders Climate Action, United States
Electric Vehicle Association, United States
Electric Vehicles Promotion Foundation (FPPE), Poland
Enter Nusantara, Indonesia
Environmental Health Coalition, United States & Mexico
Environmental Working Group, United States
GreenLatinos, United States
Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Australia & Pacific
Greenpeace Japan, Japan
Industrious Labs, United States
Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Philippines
League of Conservation Voters, United States
Les chercheurs d’air, Europe
Mighty Earth, United States
Movilizatorio, Colombia & Mexico
New AutoMotive, United Kingdom
New Weather Institute, United Kingdom & International
Oil Change International, United States
Project Green Home, United States
Provincial Electricity Authority, Thailand
Rainforest Action Network, Japan & United States
Rapid Transition Alliance, United Kingdom
Respire, France
SanDiego350, United States
Savesun co.,LTD, Thailand
Sierra Club, United States
Smart Energy Council, Australia
Society for Threatened Peoples, Switzerland
Stand.earth, United States, Canada
SteelWatch, International
The Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health (SoCalCOSH), United States
The Sunrise Project, Australia
Trottier Family Foundation, Canada