Image source: China Visual

BEIJING, September 28 (TMTPOST) – Toyota plans to sell its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) MIRAI in China as an imported vehicle by the end of 2022. The first 50 units of MIRAI will be sold to China later this year through the channels of its joint venture company, GAC Toyota Motor Co. Ltd., its China branch announced Monday.

The plan of the auto giant marks a turning point for the Chinese FCEV sector, which has so far produces mostly commercial trucks, public buses, and tractors.

As Toyota's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the first generation of MIRAI was launched in 2014. In 2020 December, the updated MIRAI was officially launched with three hydrogen tanks and a distance per charge of 850 km. The retail price of the second-generation MIRAI in Japan is 7.1 million yen (about $ 49,140) to 8.6 million yen (about $ 59,522). Toyota China said the suggested retail price of imported MIRAI in China starts is 748,000 yuan ( about $ 104,065).

Currently, GAC Toyota is accelerating its all-round electrification strategy, not only continuing to solidify its leading position in the "TNGA Twin Engine Advanced Hybrid" in the hybrid field, but also focusing on developing the pure electric market, starting with the bZ4X, the first mid-size SUV developed on Toyota's e-TNGA pure electric architecture, and comprehensively expanding its pure electric product lineup.

From January to August this year, GAC Toyota's sales of electrified models reached 209,000 units, achieving strong doubling growth, and the proportion of electrified models in the overall sales of the company exceeded 30%.

Coupled with the full popularization of intelligent driving technologies such as TSS, and the high-end, high-value product matrix supported by the three flagship models of Camry, Highlander, and SIENNA, GAC Toyota not only entered the top joint venture companies in terms of sales scale but also in terms of product structure featuring electrification, intelligence and high-end.