Toyota: PHEVs need 200km EV range for Australia, diesel PHEVs an option

Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, admits that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) need to be the right fit for an Australian buyer in terms of the cost, and the amount of EV range on offer.

“I have an ideal range in my mind. But it's not necessarily a prerequisite range. It's an ideal range. So right now, I think they get around 60 to maybe 80 kilometres on their own, which is not bad. It's credible. That wouldn't stop you from bringing it to market in Australia, by any means.” said Mr Hanley.

Plug-in hybrid EVs like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV have proven popular in Australia, because they allow motorists to drive on electric-only power for significantly longer and at higher speeds than with a ‘regular’ hybrid.

MORE: Mild, 'traditional' and plug-in hybrids explained

“As battery technology evolves, I think that could be possible. It's not going to be tomorrow, but I think it could be possible. And that, therefore in my own thinking, is a perfect solution for the Australian market to get the best of both worlds,” he said.

Mr Hanley – who drives a Lexus RZ450e electric SUV he claims to have never recharged at a public charger – is himself looking to move to a PHEV for his next company car. It won’t wear a Toyota badge, though, for obvious reasons – it’ll be the Lexus NX450h+, a vehicle that offers a claimed 87km of EV-only driving range.

Toyota C-HR chief engineer, Toshio Kanei, confirmed with WhichCar that the PHEV model will account for “25 percent” of new-generation C-HR sales in Europe, which is the only marketplace that will see the PHEV offered. Indeed, the entire new C-HR range, built in Turkey, is only going to Europe and Australia this time around.

Mr Hanley ruled out a C-HR PHEV for our market at the launch of the new model this week (review due 7pm March 21), but confirmed that a plug-in Toyota has to be a part of the line-up at some point soon.

«Some would say ‘why not now?’ – I read the comments all the time [where people say] 'where is the RAV4 Prime?' I think it's a great alternative. Will it consume the market? No, it won't, but it will fit into the portfolio.”

PHEV price premiums are a sticking point for