A truly old scan of the RAV-4 EV from the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show brochure. (Toyota Motor Co. Media Group photo)
WHEN Hiroshi Okuda assumed the presidency of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1995, he fundamentally shifted the automaker’s global strategy. Recognizing the pressure of California’s impending zero-emission mandates and the long-term threat of petroleum depletion, Okuda demanded that Toyota accelerate its environmental vehicle programs from theoretical research into market-ready reality. Under … [continued]
BYD Malaysia has selected Inokom Corporation Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Sime Motors based in Kulim, Kedah, as its local assembly partner. The move marks a key milestone in the electric vehicle manufacturer’s strategy to assemble completely knocked-down vehicles within the country. The collaboration was formalized through the signing of … [continued]
PUBLIC transportation company Green SM has entered North America with the official launch of an all-electric taxi service in Los Angeles, California. The move turns the United States into the ninth market for the Vietnamese transport provider. The platform operates entirely on VinFast battery-electric vehicles, putting its operational system directly … [continued]
The VinFast EB8 a mid-size city bus which is in use all over Vietnam. (Photo for Cleantechnica by author)
WHEN VinFast brought its electric buses to Busworld Europe 2025, the Vietnamese automaker was making its first major international move in the electric bus market. The company displayed the EB 8 and EB 12 in Brussels in October 2025 as it looked beyond Vietnam for new markets. North America was … [continued]
HANNOVER, Germany — Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer BAIC Foton used the sprawling halls of IAA Transportation 2026 to signal that its ambitions in Europe extend far beyond exporting sheet metal from afar. At a dedicated press briefing in Hall 21, company executives rolled out an expansive product offensive that combined … [continued]
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government is proposing a more than sevenfold increase in funding for its electric vehicle program in 2027 as electric vehicle sales accelerate and the country works to build the charging infrastructure needed to support them. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has proposed P228.92 … [continued]
Summit serves as an operational audit of EV progress in the Philippines MANILA, Philippines — When the 14th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) opens its doors this October, the exhibition floor will look, to casual visitors, like a conventional automotive trade fair. Bright spotlights will bounce off polished sheet metal, … [continued]
MAKATI CITY, Philippines — Kia Philippines expanded its local electric lineup with the September 21 rollout of the EV3, pricing the subcompact model at P1.898 million (roughly $30,400) to take aim directly at rival battery-powered options. The Ayala-backed distributor introduced the nameplate in a solitary GL trim, slotted beneath the … [continued]
SEOUL, South Korea — Long before SsangYong Motor became part of the electric-vehicle transition now reshaping South Korea’s automotive industry, it built an electric sports car that looked as if it had arrived from a different future. The SsangYong CCR-1, short for Clean Car 1, was unveiled in 1995 as … [continued]
MANILA, Philippines — On the surface, the transition to electric mobility looks like an intensely domestic fight. Commuters in Metro Manila complain about erratic fuel pump prices, local transport cooperatives struggle to finance modern electric jeepneys, and utility companies work to install charging stations along national expressways. Yet when industry … [continued]
