INTO ATIV

Toyota lowers the price of admission to hybrid

- By Kap Maceda Aguila

The Toyota Ativ HEV CVT is priced at P1.198 million.

THE TALE OF TOYOTA's take on and push to carbon neutrality is well-documented. Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) Chairman Akio Toyoda had long elucidated that there is no single, correct way (meaning one powertrain) to achieve this. The realistic formula is predicated on espousing a "multi-pathway" toward a zero carbon society. The "enemy," as it were, postulated by a chorus of Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) executives, is not one powertrain type but carbon. Thus, any step to mitigate the production of this emission is a step in the right direction.

Today, TMP formally unveils the Toyota Ativ (pronounced "ey-tiv") which enters the subcompact sedan category. The company positions it as a complement to its ubiquitous, popular model, the Vios a proven nameplate regardless of its role: workhorse, fleet mover, TNVS (Transportation Network Vehicle Service), or family car.

The Ativ, manufactured in Thailand, is still prefixed by the "Vios" moniker but is distinguished by its more upmarket qualities. To be clear, this is not the replacement to the Vios but a veritable expansion of choices in the segment.

Chief among the plethora of differences is the availability, for the first time in this model, of a hybrid powertrain present in the range-topping Ativ 1.5 HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) CVT variant.

"The all-new Toyota Ativ is another statement of Toyota's continued mission to bring electrified mobility within reach of more Filipinos," declared TMP First Vice-President for Vehicle Sales Operations Elijah Sue Marcial in a release. "We know choosing your first car, and an electrified model at that, can be a bold decision, so the Ativ makes it simple and easy by delivering modern HEV features, while providing peace of mind with reliability, safety, ease of ownership, and joy of use," she added.