Toyota participates in FAME India Eco drive

Amidst the ongoing climate talks in Paris, heavy floods in Chennai and hazardous smog in Delhi, the FAME India Eco Drive is campaigning for energy conservation and promoting the environmental benefits of hybrid and electric vehicles. As the campaign reaches midway, it has got another entrant as Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) joined the green cause yesterday.

Toyota has been at the forefront in terms of advocating green cars in India with the first locally manufactured hybrid model―the Camry Hybrid― in August 2013. Today, the Camry Hybrid accounts for 85 percent of Camry sales. TKM is contributing hybrid models to the tally of over 50 hybrid and electric vehicles taking part in the drive.

The FAME India Eco drive had reached Jaipur on November 30 (the drive kicked off on November 26 in Delhi) and it will conclude on December 7 in Chandigarh. The name of the event is adopted from the national scheme on Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) India. FAME's goal is to encourage mass adoption of cleaner transportation.

Travelling through notable points in each city, the event gives the public a chance to see green automotive technology in action first-hand, inspiring curiosity and enthusiasm for a greener future.

Ambuj Sharma, additional secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industries, explained that with India's emissions rising at an alarming rate, it is imperative to encourage adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles in order to reduce the country's carbon footprint and ensure a safer, greener environment for tomorrow. "We hope the event touches the right chord with people and encourages them to invest in vehicles that will reduce the use of energy and cut emissions woes," he announced at the flag-off ceremony.

Also present was deputy managing director TS Jaishankar, who spoke on behalf of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, "India emerges as the fourth largest consumer of energy in the world, following the US, China, and Russia, in accounting for 4.4 percent of global energy consumption. We feel privileged to be a part of the FAME Eco Drive to educate and encourage the use of full hybrid vehicles in India. The Camry Hybrid is the first ever locally manufactured full hybrid vehicle―with 48 percent more fuel efficiency―and it emits 25 percent less CO2 when compared to a car of the same size in a petrol variant. From providing fuel efficient vehicles to developing ground-breaking technology, our focus is on environmentally sustainable solutions in everything we do and every vehicle we make."