Hyperdrive

Toyota's Electric Push Spurs Yamaha’s Rush to Develop Hybrid Engines

New Yamaha CEO fears losing business in shift to electric cars
Yamaha has supplied combustion engines to Toyota since 1967

A Yamaha Motor Co. Motoroid motorcycle stands displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017. Japan's flagship automakers present their futuristic visions for the post-fossil fuel era at the Tokyo Motor Show that kicks off Wednesday.
Photographer: Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Kevin Buckland and Nao Sano

April 10, 2018 at 12:20 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Yamaha Motor Co. is rushing to develop engines for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles as key customer and shareholder Toyota Motor Corp. accelerates a push into electrified powertrains.

Yamaha needs to be able to provide those engines more quickly, at a lower cost, and to a higher level of quality than Toyota can do in-house if it’s going to remain as a supplier, Yoshihiro Hidaka, Yamaha’s new chief executive officer, said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Iwata, central Japan. Yamaha has supplied high-performance internal-combustion engines for Toyota since 1967’s iconic 2000GT sports coupe.