Despite growing interest in electric vehicles amid stricter curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, globally renowned Japanese carmakers have yet to totally embrace the challenge — raising concerns they may fall behind emerging rivals.
But analysts say the world is not ready to shift to EVs, which still have hurdles to overcome, and that for this reason Japan's cautious stance is realistic.
"I believe electric vehicles will certainly be the future in the long run. But it's not a change that comes immediately," said Takaki Nakanishi, CEO of Nakanishi Research Institute Co., which specializes in auto industry research. He sees recent EV hype as part of China's political strategy, to promote its auto industry so it can compete with rivals in Japan.