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Carsales Staff23 Jan 2015
NEWS

Mirai remains no-go for Australia

Toyota announces production increase for new hydrogen electric car, but we miss out
An increase in production of Toyota's new Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle sedan will not speed up the timeline for the introduction of the ground-breaking sedan in Australia.
The lack of local infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling means Toyota Australia is sticking to its estimate that the commercial sale of a hydrogen-fuelled electric vehicle could be as far as a decade away here.
However, it still does want to import a Mirai for local testing and publicity purposes.
Toyota launched the Mirai in Japan on December 15 last year and it will be introduced in the UK and other selected European markets during 2015. We drove it last November.
Toyota's upgraded plan calls for production to increase from 700 units this year to approximately 2000 in 2016 and around 3000 in 2017.
In a media statement Toyota said it decided the supply structure should be adjusted in view of around 1500 orders being received in the first month of sales in Japan and the prospect of the model being launched in Europe and the USA later this year.
But Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen confirmed the news did not change the local position from when the Mirai's concept predecessor, the FCV, was shown at the Tokyo motor show in late 2013.
"We are still endeavouring to get one car but we haven't got any confirmation that we will get one, or when we would get one," Breen said.
"That's where it is for us and where it will likely be for some time to come."
Toyota is one of a handful of car companies with some interest in hydrogen locally. Last December 2014 Hyundai Australia confirmed it had imported a hydrogen-fuelled ix35 and would be setting up a refuelling station at its Macquarie Park headquarters.
It is planning to test a fleet of ix35s in Australia and is also pushing a 'Hume by Hydrogen' scheme, which it has briefed federal government about.
But Breen said it was unlikely the emergence of hydrogen in Australia would be the result of the efforts of individual companies.
"From our point of view it will be industry-led," he said. "It won't just be Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda or whoever. Everyone will get together and lead the march to capital hill."
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Written byCarsales Staff
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