11/23 (Sat) 7:17am Published President Online The Paris Motor Show was held in October. Marketing/branding consultant Akira Yamazaki, who covered the situation on-site, said, “I was surprised by the changes in the taxis running within the city. Judging from their appearance, about 80% of them are Toyota hybrid vehicles. European manufacturers, which have been stepping up the shift to EVs in recent years, are going to have a tough time from now.” ■Many of the taxis running in Paris are Toyota hybrid vehicles In October 2024, the Paris Motor Show was held, so I visited Paris for the first time in a long time. This will be the first time I’ve attended the Paris Motor Show in 10 years, since 2014. Walking the streets of Paris, you cannot help but be struck by one major change. This is a change from the taxi, which is a part of the cityscape in any big city. Speaking of taxis in Paris, in the past, most were French cars such as Peugeot and Citroën, but now there are almost no French taxis on the roads. So what are they so common about? Well, most of the taxis currently running in Paris (about 80% by appearance) are Toyota hybrids! Not only are there few French cars, but there are also few German cars. As I will discuss later, this incident is perhaps symbolic of the crisis currently facing European manufacturers. It is also proof of the correctness of the multi-pathway strategy that Toyota Chairman Toyoda Akio has been unwavering in advocating since September 2021. ■RAV4, Corolla, Camry, Lexus ES… The most common car model was the RAV4, followed by the Corolla Touring (wagon). Next came the Camry and Lexus ES, and I was surprised to see the Lexus ES quite frequently, especially despite its high price of 60,000 euros (approximately 10 million yen) locally. Toyota’s dominance is likely due to the fact that it has the most efficient hybrid system. The reason why hybrids are chosen is probably because they are easy to use and have overwhelmingly superior fuel efficiency. It’s the same as a gasoline-powered car in the sense that it can run as long as it’s filled with gasoline, but its good fuel economy means you can extend the time between refueling and you can save on gas costs in the first place. This is probably the optimal solution for taxis that mostly drive around the city. It also allows you to show that you are contributing to the environment. G7, a major taxi company in Paris, promotes itself on its website as a sustainable company, because more than 85% of its vehicles are hybrid or BEV. ■There are an astounding 1,500 Toyota Mirai taxis in Paris. We also spotted a significant number of Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). I get the impression that mirai is seen far more frequently than in Tokyo. This is partly due to the fact that Toyota, an official sponsor of the Paris Olympics, provided 500 Mirai vehicles for the event, but converted all of them into taxis in Paris. Even before that, Toyota had been working with a French hydrogen supplier to develop Mirai taxis, and there are now 1,500 Mirai taxis on the roads in Paris. Since taxis travel in roughly the same areas every day, the number of hydrogen stations is probably not a big issue, as long as they are located in convenient locations. FCEVs have no range issues and can be refueled in a short time. ■The obvious reason why there are so few BEV taxis In Europe, both governments and manufacturers have been working hard to popularize electric vehicles (BEVs) in recent years. The government should have also promoted the conversion of taxis to BEVs, but in Paris today, you only occasionally see Tesla taxis, and it seems that there are very few BEV taxis. Even when I visited Munich in the summer, I hardly saw any BEV taxis. When the Nissan Leaf was released in Japan in 2010, with the help of subsidies from the national and local governments, a considerable number of Leaf taxis were introduced in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and other areas, but it seems that they were quickly eliminated. After all, BEVs have a limited range and take a long time to charge, so they are probably not suitable for use as taxis. Taxis in Beijing, where the national policy is forcing them to switch to BEVs, are also unpopular among drivers because of their short driving range and long charging times (Nikkei Business article). Source below.
When the Prius came out, Japanese car critics were all in unison about how it was impractical and that clean diesels would become mainstream, but in New York, hybrid cars have become mainstream, and Europe is in the same situation.
I don’t know if this is a biased article or a decision made due to the limitations of current EVs. I think that in the long run, EVs will be the only option.
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