Indonesia's chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto met with Toyota vice-chairman Shigeru Hayakawa on Tuesday in Tokyo, the Jakarta ministry said

The company's call coincides with the release of a new hybrid model, the Grand Vitara sport utility vehicle, that is intended to compete with Hyundai and Kia

The Japanese giant said on Tuesday that it would partner with Daihatsu and Suzuki to develop smaller electric vans, aiming to begin production next year.

Japan changed a key policy document that put hybrid vehicles on par with battery-electric cars after Toyota warned that carmakers could not back a government that rejected hybrid tech.

Petrol-electric hybrid models remain far more popular in Japan than pure EVs like the Solterra and bZ4X, which accounted for just 1% of passenger cars sold

The company said on Thursday that 112 of its bZ4X electric sport utility vehicles would be recalled to replace a wheel hub bolt.

Toyota was once a darling of environmentalists, but has more recently drawn criticism over its apparent reluctance to phase out petrol-powered cars

Shuttered since mid-March, the plant will resume operations as the city eases covid restrictions.

The Federation of Thai Industries says there are about 260,000 EVs registered in Thailand and the Finance ministry expects about 20,000 units to be sold this year

The SUV - which will come in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full-electric models - marks an attempt to make the Crown more relevant as consumers shy away from sedans

Toyota said on Tuesday it would make additional production cuts in March due to a shortage of computer chips, days after reducing its domestic production target for the April-June quarter