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Toyota’s DC Auto Show Prius Reveal a Monument to Pollution and Stagnation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Toyota Motor Corp. today unveiled the 2023 Prius to an east coast audience at the Washington, D.C. auto show as part of the show’s public policy day. Despite calls from advocates to transition its full fleet to zero-emission vehicles by 2035, Toyota’s Prius hybrid, which debuted in November, still has a tailpipe and emits pollution. Instead of taking the opportunity to innovate a fully-electric vehicle, Toyota doubled down on its commitment to keep internal combustion engines in its vehicles.

Public Citizen today held a press conference in front of the D.C. Convention Center, calling on Toyota to commit to a 100% electric vehicle (EV) line-up in the U.S. by 2030. Sierra Club, Interfaith Power & Light, and Industrious Labs all joined the event, calling for more EVs from the auto industry. 

East Peterson-Trujillo, clean vehicles campaigner, Public Citizen, issued the following statement: 

“Toyota’s new Prius still emits carbon dioxide from its tailpipe and is a missed opportunity for the company to electrify its line up for the future. The company continues to fail consumers and our environment with its commitment to internal combustion engines.

“Zero-emissions vehicles are the future of transportation. Despite over a decade of record-setting global temperatures, Toyota’s anti-climate lobbying underscores the company’s lack of commitment to the environment. While other manufacturers push forward on EVs, Toyota refuses to embrace a U.S. line-up of only zero-emission vehicles before the next decade. Toyota must stop stalling progress and commit to a pollution-free future.”

Photos from the event are available here (Password: Electric): Attribution: Knight Photography for Public Citizen
Full quotesheet from today’s press conference available here.