Nov 10, 2016 - 09:20 am

Carlos Ghosn, Didier Leroy.

“What we are seeing that in China what is really selling are the very low cost electric cars. This is where the market is moving.”

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is aiming to sell an all-electric car for about 8,000 dollars in China (we reported) and now told CNBC that this ultra-low priced EV could come to the market within in the next two years.
cnbc.com

“Our view is that a hydrogen-based society is much more promising than a battery-based society. No one knows what the right source of electricity is, fuel cell or battery.”

According to Toyota’s European chief Didier Leroy, the Japanese carmaker does “not need to rush into EVs like some of our competitors, which have the immediate need to drastically reduce their average fleet CO2 emissions,” because Toyota and Lexus have already sold more than 9 million hybrids and 75,000 plug-in hybrids globally.
autonews.com

Oct 28, 2016 - 08:20 am

Elon Musk, Didier Leroy, Gil Tal.

“This is not something we comment on and not something that is a figure of merit in any way.”

CEO Elon Musk would not go into details on Model 3 reservations. Estimates based on 690m dollars in customer deposits are at about half a million yet to be build Tesla.
electrek.co

“Do you believe we will just open the door and say go ahead? No, we won’t let them come inside like that.”

Toyota’s Executive Vice President Didier Leroy is on the defensive – if not offensive – as he comments on Apple, Tesla, Google and Co. presumably breaking into automotive territory.
forbes.com

“I think it will make a big difference. We need public infrastructure, and we cannot wait for business to build it. If the VW settlement will do it, that’s probably better than using taxpayer money to do the same thing.”

Says Gil Tal, a researcher with the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. VW has been ordered to pay 2bn dollars for infrastructure projects to partially clean up its diesel act in the States.
fastcoexist.com

Mar 5, 2015 - 10:10 am

Harald Wester, Didier Leroy.

“I have serious doubts about what we are doing. How can it be right that a 2000kg high-end luxury car is rated at 70g/km when a small diesel supermini is rated at 90g/km?”

Maserati CEO Harald Wester announced in Geneva that the company would issue the Levante as a plug-in hybrid by 2017 but only because legislation forces Maserati to do so. Wester seriously questions these regulations as he believes the “wheel-to-well energy balance” is being neglected.
autocar.co.uk

“The key element is to make sure that when we’re working with them — and we’re totally open to work with any of them — it’s a real win-win.”

If Apple and Google are entering the EV market, why not get them on your side, is what Didier Leroy, Toyota’s European chief, seems to think and this could indeed turn out to become a very fruitful cooperation.
bloomberg.com

Oct 7, 2014 - 08:32 am

Maxime Picat, Dieter Zetsche, Didier Leroy.

“I think we will need plug-in hybrids by the end of the decade. Maybe we will go faster, but we are not going to be first and are not in a rush.”

Peugeot CEO Maxime Picat is in no rush to electrify, not even partially. However, if it will finally happen, Peugeot will take VW as an example as Picat does not see a “future in the long-term for specific electric cars” like BMW’s i3.
telegraph.co.uk

“This is not something where you are first to market and then can run away and sell hundreds of thousands of vehicles. It’s something where we have to set the stage for this industry change together.”

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche when asked about Toyota’s rather offensive hydrogen strategy. Him and strategic partner Carlos Ghosn from Renault-Nissan would like to see a more cooperative effort instead – if at all.
online.wsj.com

“We want to take the lead in fuel cell technology just as we took the lead in hybrids.”

Toyota itself however, here spoken for by Didier Leroy, head of the European operations, leaves no doubt as to what the Japanese carmaker set out to achieve with its fuel-cell vehicles.
online.wsj.com

Jun 6, 2014 - 08:28 am

Elon Musk, Didier Leroy.

“We probably got a little too guy-centric on the S. So, we’re hoping to correct that with the X.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to make the next Tesla design more appealing to women, after a recent study revealed that men and women use their EVs quite differently.
green.autoblog.com

“It is not just the weak Yen. The main reason for our success is that we focus on hybrid vehicles.”

Didier Leroy, President of Toyota Motor Europe, explains his winning strategy for Europe. Every fifth Toyota sold there is a hybrid.
automobilwoche.de (in German)

Apr 17, 2014 - 08:09 am

Didier Leroy, Tony Posawatz.

“Fuel cell technology will take time before it takes off. To help that happen we will bring a reasonable number of cars to Europe. The volume will be limited, but they will be visible on the streets.”

Didier Leroy, Toyota Europe’s president, is determined to introduce hydrogen cars to the market. The first Toyota FCV is set to launch by 2015.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk

“The fascinating thing is the technology helps facilitate the fuelling process by increasing the speed, but also if you have many of these installations you could reduce battery size and cost.”

Tony Posawatz, who has helped GM to create their Volt before he attempted to save Fisker, thinks that inductive charging will have the most impact on EV adoption in the near term.
plugincars.com