The future of the Toyota Avensis in doubt?

In some concerning news today from the Toyota brand, we have learned that the future plans for the Toyota Avensis model which is on sale now and how the company owners have stated that there are currently no plans for an EV version of this vehicle for the future. The company owners previously stated that they have plans to offer an EV version of every model they currently have on offer from the likes of the Yaris to the Rav4 and more by the time the year 2020 comes around.

It has been confirmed recently by the the Europe boss that the Avensis will be excluded from this plan. This has caused a bit of sadness for Toyota fans who are fond of the Avensis model and rightfully so. The European boss did confirm that a mid sized Hybrid model from Toyota would go on sale in the future but he stated clearly that the Avensis would not be one of these vehicles.

The difficulties of occupying an EV market

For a company who are accustomed to petrol and diesel variants, making the switch to an EV model much like BMW and Nissan have can be quite a tough one. European boss of Toyota Didier Leroy stated that “Its very tough to be in the mid sized segment in Europe”. He also made comments stating that the company are unsure as to whether a specific vehicle such as the sedan line up and wagon line ups should be a Europe only thing or whether the company should focus more on developing a more global product.

The ranges of Avensis models developed at the Europe plant in Burnaston England last year were significantly smaller than the amount of Auris models that were produced. Therefore in our minds also the Auris model which had 143,000 units designed in England last year could potentially be a keen priority for the Hybrid market in the future for Toyota.

Does this mean an easy ride for other car companies?

So with the Avensis being left out of the Toyota plan to produce Hybrid/EV vehicles in the future, will other top car brands such as Audi and Vauxhall have an easy drive to the finish line when it comes to the EV markets. The future is somewhat uncertain at this time however, it will be interesting to see just exactly what Toyota will come up with for the EV market.