Toyota believes diesel engine still has a long future amid slumping sales

Toyota believes the diesel engine is still a very credible technology and has a long future, despite the slumping sales of diesel-powered cars across the world amid the rise of electrified vehicles and tightening emission norms. Australian automotive publication Drive has quoted Toyota Australia's sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley saying that despite the negative attitude towards it, diesel is not dead.

Toyota's stance on diesel engines comes immediately after Volvo's recent announcement that the Swedish luxury car manufacturer built its last car with a diesel engine. In the last few years, various factors have propelled the sales slump for diesel vehicles all around the world. Speaking of that, Hanley stated that diesel is not going to die off anytime soon. "Diesel, despite popular commentary, is not dead. It's got a while to go, diesel, so it's not going to die off anytime soon," he reportedly said.

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The Toyota executive reportedly stated that diesel remains a very credible fuel source, especially in the case of heavy vehicles such as trucks and large SUVs. However, Hanley also said that diesel engines need to adapt themselves to the increasingly stricter emission regulations for their survival. He also stated that this is why Toyota recently launched a 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine-powered Hilux pickup truck with mild-hybrid technology. Speaking further, he revealed that there are possibilities that in future, diesel engines would run on synthetic diesel.

Hanley's comment comes in line with Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda's statement. Toyoda recently revealed that the Japanese car giant is working on a new family of internal combustion engines, which include diesel power mills too. This signalled the OEM's intention to sell conventionally powered ICE vehicles in the long run, as Toyoda believes the major engine development project is necessary because pure electric vehicles will never surpass a market share of 30 per cent. He believes the other 70 per cent of cars are still going to have internal combustion engines, running on petrol and diesel.