The global chairman of Toyota has expressed his “fear” of a rapid switch to electric cars that would leave buyers of petrol and diesel vehicles behind.

It is the Japanese car maker’s latest commitment to offering a broad range of power sources in its cars – including hybrid and electric vehicles – rather than going all-in on batteries.

“Everybody is shifting to BEVs [battery-electric vehicles], this is the biggest fear for me,” Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda told UK publication Carwow.

“Three or four years ago, I was the only one to say to the media that I love smell, I love sound and I love engines, and I want to keep the jobs for engine suppliers. But it seems to me that I’m the only one. I feel very alone.”

While many of the car brands that committed billions of dollars to electric cars at the start of the decade have pulled back – amid a cooling in consumer demand – Toyota remains more vocal than most brands on a “multi-pathway” approach.

It argues that hybrids remain a more practical solution than EVs in many parts of the world, particularly where charging infrastructure is limited.

In Australia, Toyota deleted regular petrol versions of all passenger and SUV models – excluding performance cars – that offer hybrid power.

It has been slower to roll out electric cars, launching the bZ4X SUV in early 2024, and followed in recent months by the longer bZ4X Touring and HiLux BEV ute, ahead of the C-HR BEV in 2027.

“If they say to me, ‘Hey, you’re too late, you should have shifted to BEV,’ well, we are people who love cars, and those people and myself fight even within the companies,” Toyoda said in remarks to Carwow quoted by sister outlet Auto Express.

“If I only have to make a good balance sheet or profitable things, or only have to make carbon neutral, it’s not exciting.