Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said that it will be accelerating the localisation of its electric transmission systems for its green vehicles starting with hybrid models.

The Japanese auto giant is betting big on hybrid vehicles for the Indian market as an initial path to clean mobility though it has developed technologies across alternative-fuel categories.

“Toyota’s philosophy of transition to electrification will be more of a sustainable and step-by-step approach. However, whichever technology we introduce in India, we will localise everything though it may take some time to develop vendors for the same. Overall, our objective is not just to reach carbon neutral, but also do ‘Make in India,” Sudeep S Dalvi, Senior Vice President & Chief Communication Officer, TKM, told businessline.

In India, the company would go for hybrid models as step one as part of the EV transition. “While doing the transition, we are developing the ecosystem and that is the reason we have set up a unit for the e-drive transmission system, which could be a common one for strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fuel-cell vehicles,” he added.

Auto component unit

Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts (TKAP) Pvt Ltd, which manufacturers drivetrain parts and assemblies, has set up a new facility at Toyota’s manufacturing complex at Bidadi near Bengaluru to produce e-drive transmission systems as part of its ₹4,100 crore investment programme. The new unit can produce 135,000 units a year.

This will be the first facility outside Japan in the Asia Pacific region to make e-drive transmission systems. The facility produces the systems not only for the domestic market but also exports to Japan for hybrid models. It will also export to other markets such as Indonesia, and Thailand. Currently, about 70 per cent of the capacity is exported from this unit.

The e-drive transmission that is being produced at Bidadi carries a localisation level of little over 50 per cent (value-wise). The company is working with a slew of vendors for localizing more parts (on the electrical side) that have stringent quality requirements.

“It is a challenging task as some technologies are not available in India, but we are trying to develop the same in India by working with new suppliers. If we achieve that, the local content may reach 85-90 per cent,” said Tabrez Ahmed, Production Control and Logistics, TKAP.

Hybrid SUVs

Toyota has already launched two hybrid SUVs -Hyryder and Hycross. While Hyryder is powered by its e-drive transmission system, the powertrain for Hycross is imported as the size is a little bigger for this vehicle.

Dalvi said Toyota believes in multiple pathways to achieve carbon-neutral. “We need to look not just from a technology point of view but also from the energy mix perspective. Availability of energy mix in a particular region and customers’ requirements need to be taken into consideration while introducing alternative-fuel technologies, he added.

He asserted that Toyota was also in favour of the use of ethanol as India could produce everything for its requirements and need not depend on any country.

“We see merit in this biofuel. FFV-SHEV (Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles) will be much more advantageous. In normal hybrid vehicles, 60 per cent of the time will be in EV mode, while 40 per cent on fossil-fuel mode. But in the case of FFV-SHEV, ethanol could be used for 40 per cent instead of gasoline. While it will be viable to achieve carbon neutrality, fossil fuel dependence will reduce at the same time it will also support our agri economy,” he said.

“Of course, in this effort, we are not deviating from the track on electrification as these vehicles will still carry the electrification part. It is the same path but with larger advantages, he added.

The company has sold more than 22,000 units of Hyryder SUV since its launch in September 2022, while sales of Innova Hycross stood at 11,000 plus units during Q1 of this calendar year.

(This correspondent was in Bengaluru at the invitation of the company)

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