WardsAuto Podcast: Toyota’s Hybrid Body-on-Frame Strategy

Toyota has made a lot of noise in the electrification arena in the past 12 months. First, Chairman Akio Toyoda forecast a year ago that battery-electric-vehicle mandates were too aggressive and that consumers were not going to adopt BEVs at a fast enough rate to meet those directives.

With interest in hybrids and plug-in hybrids surging and BEV demand slackening, Toyota’s hybrid-first strategy looks to be perfectly timed with a whopping 15 hybrid offerings this year.

WardsAuto Podcast Host David Kiley was in San Diego this month with Toyota to drive the new Camry, Crown Signia, Tacoma TRD and Land Cruiser, and check out the ’25 4Runner. And he spent some talking with Tacoma Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown about the automaker’s hybrid strategy when it comes to trucks and SUVs.

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