Speaking at the global reveal of the updated 2024 bZ4X, Sean Hanley laid out why EVs are an unwise investment in Australia.

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“Right now, hybrid-electric vehicles are a better fit than BEVs for most consumers,” he said.

“BEVs make sense right now in places like Norway where most energy is renewable, and incomes are high.

“But Australia is not Europe.”

However, with EV sales soaring down under, it seems many don’t share Mr Hanley’s sentiment.

While electric models accounting for only 3.8% of overall car sales last year, sales are up 80% in 2023.

Over 65,000 Aussie drivers have shunned diesel for electric.

Thanks to new affordable EVs from China like BYD’s Atto 3, electric cars now account for 7.3% of new vehicle sales in Australia.

In September, Tesla’s Model Y ranked first as the bestselling SUV for either gas or electric motors, surpassing the Toyota RAV4, Ford Ranger, and Mazda CX-5.

It comes after the Australian government introduced a new National Electric Vehicle Strategy in April to boost a transition to electric vehicles.

The three-pronged strategy aims to increase the supply of affordable EVs, establish the resources, systems, and infrastructure to enable rapid EV uptake and encourage increased EV demand.

By 2026, Toyota plans to launch a new dedicated EV platform with 10 new electric models.

The company will begin selling its first EV, the bZ4X, in Australia in February.

Toyota Australia has committed to at least three EVs by 2026.

It comes after a popular car which was discontinued over twenty years ago has been revived as a hybrid vehicle.

Japanese automaker Honda has brought back the once-popular Prelude after it was axed in 2001.

Elsewhere, Toyota has unveiled mind-boggling designs for “EVs of the future” including a space-age buggy which can be driven on Mars.

The company revealed designs for a new range of “concept” electric vehicles including a new foldable Land Hopper.