China-made hybrid engine to power Toyota

Toyota Motor has announced that China-made hybrid powertrain will be used from next year in Corolla models manufactured by First Automobile Works and Levin made by Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd, Beijing Business Today reported on Tuesday.

Soichiro Okudaira, new vice-president and general manager of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing China (TMEC), said his first task after taking over was to speed up the localization process of hybrid powertrains in China.

Toyota will further speed up its research on new motors, Okudaira said in an interview at the 18th Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao Internatinal Auto Show held in Shenzhen.

He added that his key work is to fully understand, grasp and satisfy the needs of Chinese customers.

The headquarters of TMEC, located in Chanshu, Jiangsu province, are the nerve center of the localization process the company has undertaken to boost research in energy-saving and new energy technologies.