Sierra Club Statement: Toyota’s 10 Billion-Dollar Investment in U.S. Auto Manufacturing Must Support Real Electrification

Liberty, North Carolina - Toyota just announced a $10 billion investment in the U.S. over the next five years, with few details on how the funds will be used other than the construction of one battery manufacturing facility in Liberty, North Carolina.

The reality is:

• Toyota currently only has one fully electric vehicle, the BZ4X, for sale in the U.S.
• Toyota has lobbied to rollback federal vehicle pollution standards, federal EV incentives, and state clean vehicle standards
• The automaker has a long history of engaging in heavy greenwashing in its marketing, using the phrases "Beyond Zero" and "electrified" to lump together conventional hybrid vehicles that only run on fossil fuels.

Their greenwashing has been making an impact: Hollywood's leading sustainability group just cut ties with Toyota as its sponsor.

In response to Toyota's announcement, Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García issued the following statement:

"Toyota's investment in the U.S. must move clean energy and zero-emission technology forward at this critical moment. As the global auto market increasingly becomes dominated by EVs, the U.S. is falling behind. Toyota must seize this opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to producing EVs in the U.S. and support unionized automaker jobs.

"The climate crisis isn't at our doorstep - our house is already on fire. Unfortunately, Toyota's EV strategy has been the opposite of innovative: Rather than leading on pollution-free, electric vehicles, Toyota has doubled down on tired hybrid, combustion-powered vehicles that run solely on fossil fuels. We demand that Toyota take action to ensure this auto manufacturing investment avoids the path to climate chaos."