Toyota launches hybrid sedan with flexible fuel in India. Toyota is starting a pilot project in India where the local government is encouraging car manufacturers to switch to clean fuels.
The hybrid sedan is imported from Toyota Brazil and comes with flexible fuel technology, which allows the engine to run on fuel blended with a higher percentage of ethanol, to reduce gasoline consumption, along with a hybrid powertrain.
Although adoption of electric vehicles is increasing slowly in India, the road transport minister wants automakers to develop flexible fuel engines that will use locally made ethanol as the dominant fuel and reduce the country’s dependence on imported gasoline.
“Toyota’s pilot project will increase India’s energy independence, in line with the government’s target for energy self-sufficiency by 2047,” Toyota Kirloskar vice chairman Vikram Kirloskar said at the launch in New Delhi.
India, which is the world’s top producer of sugar, is looking to increase its use of ethanol, as is major producer Brazil where sales of flex-fuel vehicles are already popular.
The aim of the trial is to see how cars operate in India and raise awareness of the technology.
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