Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Sierra Club hosted a video projection on the front of Walter E. Washington Convention Center during the Washington, DC Auto Show. The projection calls out Toyota’s greenwashing of their dirty vehicle fleet. The projection can be viewed here.
Toyota has lobbied against global efforts to drive electrification policy in both the United States and Europe (see PollutaMotor.com for a full overview of Toyota’s laggard status on electrification). In the US, Toyota sided with the Trump administration in its various rollbacks of clean car regulations and continued to lobby Biden’s EPA for a federal rule weakened by loopholes for the auto industry. Toyota’s top five best-selling vehicles in 2021 were all gas-powered: the RAV4 compact SUV, the Camry midsize sedan, the Corolla compact sedan, the Highlander midsize SUV, and the Tacoma compact pickup truck.
In response, Katherine García, Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:
“Between lobbying against cleaner cars and prioritizing the sale of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, Toyota’s green image is nothing but smog and mirrors. Despite appearances at the DC Auto Show, Toyota is no longer the leader it once was in clean transportation.
“We must urgently shift to electric vehicles this decade to achieve much-needed climate progress and improve air quality in communities across the nation. Toyota needs to see the writing on the wall and start selling EVs now.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.