As demand for battery-powered cars worldwide continues to decline, Toyota is pushing back the start date for electric vehicle ( EV ) manufacturing in the US.
The Japanese automaker’s main goal was to begin manufacturing sometime in 2026.
A company spokesman told BBC News that Toyota then anticipates starting its US EV business at an unknown date in 2026.
Some other major vehicle manufacturers, including Volvo and Ford, have lately scaled back their EV programs.
” We’re still focused on our global]battery electric vehicle ] target of 1.5M vehicles by 2026″, said Toyota spokesperson Scott Vazin, adding that in the next two years it plans to introduce” 5 to 7]battery electric vehicles ] in the US market”.
Earlier this year, the firm announced it was investing$ 1.3bn ( £980m ) in its Kentucky factory as part of plans to build a three-row, electric sport utility vehicle ( SUV) there.
Additionally, the business announced plans to construct an additional electronic vehicle at an Indiana grow.
Toyota is expanding its lithium-ion cell production in North Carolina to meet these objectives, and the company anticipates opening a factory there in the spring of 2019.
Toyota’s news came as the global car market struggled as a result of the declining demand for electric vehicles in some of the world’s largest areas.
On Wednesday, Tesla’s monthly figures missed Wall Street anticipation, putting top EV manufacturer at risk of its first-ever decrease in quarterly deliveries.
Last month, Volvo abandoned its target to produce only fully electric cars by 2030, saying it now expected to be selling some hybrid vehicles by that date.
The company’s decision to give up a goal it had only announced three years ago was due to changing market conditions.
In August, Ford announced that it is shaking up its strategy for electric vehicles, scrapping plans for a large, three-row, all-electric SUV and postponing the launch of its next electric pickup truck.
According to Chief Financial Officer John Lawler, the company was changing its programs in response to “pricing and percentage compaction.”