Toyota SA boss: EVs are ‘great’ but ‘just too expensive’
The head of Toyota in South Africa says EVs are “great” but “just too expensive”, suggesting traditional hybrids offer a better value proposition for local buyers…
- Local Toyota CEO says EVs haven’t become “accessible” enough
- Suggests traditional hybrids offer a stronger value proposition
- Fully electric Toyota bZ4x yet to officially launch in South Africa
While Toyota South Africa Motors offers a broad range of powertrain solutions locally – including the battery-powered Lexus RZ – the head of the Japanese brand’s local division says fully electric vehicles (EVs) are generally “just too expensive”, suggesting traditional hybrids offer a better value proposition in Mzansi.
Andrew Kirby, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, made the comments during an interview conducted in Cars.co.za’s custom-built podcast booth at Naamsa’s South African Auto Week 2025 in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape at the start of October.
While some automakers have gone all-in on battery electric vehicles (EVs), Toyota has long advocated for a “multi-pathway” approach to carbon neutrality, instead offering what it terms “diverse options” to meet different energy situations and usage patterns in different markets. Kirby suggested this global strategy had already been proven correct.
“We were right because of the value proposition. It’s not that EVs are not great technology – they’re just too expensive,” said Kirby, who has been at the helm of Toyota South Africa Motors since 2016.
“So, the price premium that the customer is prepared to pay in South Africa is now quite easy to understand for a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a BEV [battery electric vehicle]. But, at the time [several years ago], there was a feeling that these plug-in hybrids and EVs would be a lot more accessible – and they’re not. They are expensive.
“The Corolla Cross [Hybrid], for example, uses 33- to 35% less fuel [than the purely petrol-powered version]. Do that calculation over a year and it more than pays for the premium of the hybrid. That’s not true for some of the plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles – the payback period is too long,” Kirby explained.
The Japanese automaker produces the Corolla Cross – which benefitted from a facelift early in 2025 – at its Prospecton plant in KwaZulu-Natal, with the 7-strong local range currently including a trio of hybrid derivatives.
Based on pricing in November 2025, the so-called “self-charging” hybrid versions of the Corolla Cross cost between R42 200 and R43 700 more (depending on the derivative) than the equivalently specified petrol version. The hybrid powertrain uses a claimed 4.3 L/100 km, while the petrol engine has a listed figure of 6.8 L/100 km.
Toyota SA Motors also offers traditional hybrid versions of the Corolla Hatch, Corolla Sedan and RAV4, along with the Crown HEV (though the company has not actively marketed the latter since its under-the-radar arrival back in 2023) as well as locally built turbodiesel mild-hybrid Hilux and Fortuner derivatives (wearing the “48V” badge).
Furthermore, its Lexus stable includes traditional hybrid iterations of the (outgoing) ES, IS, UX, NX and RX, along with the plug-in hybrid NX 450h+ and RX 450h+. As with the Crown HEV above, the Japanese firm’s local division is not actively pushing the fully electric RZ, though it quietly arrived as Toyota SA Motors’ first EV earlier in 2025.
Meanwhile, the likewise fully electric Toyota bZ4x – which was on display at the SA Auto Week 2025 in pre-facelift form despite this model having been handed a mid-cycle update overseas in March 2025 – has yet to officially hit the local market…
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Toyota SA’s EV Stance
Q: What is the Toyota South Africa CEO’s main concern regarding fully electric vehicles (EVs)?
A: Andrew Kirby, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, stated that fully electric vehicles are “just too expensive” and have not become “accessible” enough for the local market. While calling EVs “great technology,” he noted the lengthy “payback period” in South Africa currently makes them a poor value proposition.
Q: What alternative does the Toyota SA CEO suggest offers a better value proposition than EVs?
A: Kirby suggests that traditional hybrids offer a stronger value proposition. He cited the Corolla Cross Hybrid, noting that its significant fuel savings (33-35% less than the purely petrol version) quickly offset its price premium, making the hybrid’s premium “quite easy to understand” for local buyers.
Q: What is Toyota’s overall strategy for achieving carbon neutrality?
A: Toyota advocates for a “multi-pathway” approach to carbon neutrality. This strategy involves offering “diverse options” (including traditional hybrids, PHEVs, mild-hybrids and EVs) to meet different energy situations and usage patterns in various global markets, which Kirby suggested has already proven correct.
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