Toyota explains why it wants to be the last company in the world making engines
Published on Nov 03, 2025 at 9:30 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Nov 03, 2025 at 1:33 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Toyota didn’t just show off futuristic EVs at the Japan Mobility Show, it reignited the combustion debate.
In a time when most brands are phasing out fuel altogether, the manufacturer’s message was almost defiant.
The company says it never plans to stop building engines – not for nostalgia, but for balance.
Because in Toyota’s world, the drive toward zero emissions still makes room for gasoline.
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Why Toyota is choosing synthetic fuel
Toyota’s chief technology officer, Hiroki Nakajima, made it clear he wants the company to be ‘the last’ still making engines.
And his reasoning isn’t about holding onto the past, it’s about keeping options open.
Toyota believes internal combustion, reimagined through hybrid systems and synthetic fuels, still has a future.
Take the new Corolla Concept on display in Tokyo.
It looks like a clean-sheet EV, but was designed to fit a compact gas engine without losing its sleek proportions.
Under the hood, Toyota’s next-gen 1.5-liter hybrid engine aims to boost efficiency by up to 20 percent while shrinking in size.
That balance between innovation and familiarity is the point.
Toyota says it hopes to make engines cleaner without abandoning what still works.
As powertrain chief Takashi Uehara put it, electric cars can sometimes feel like ‘fireworks on mute’.
His team wants to keep some of that mechanical feedback that makes driving more engaging.
A different kind of legacy
Former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said years ago that carbon neutrality doesn’t mean going all-electric.
And his successors clearly agree.
While competitors race to drop combustion entirely, Toyota’s charting its own hybrid path.
Blending old-school mechanics with new-age efficiency.
It’s a risky move in a world chasing quiet powertrains, but one that keeps the brand’s identity intact.
If things go Toyota’s way the last internal combustion engine won’t belong to a museum piece, it’ll be sitting in a Corolla.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
