Toyota Transforms Some Classic Cars to Run on Electricity and Hydrogen

Restomods of the Sprinter Trueno and Corolla Levin were showcased at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023.

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By Jonathan Small

Restomods are becoming all the rage, with big auto manufacturers rethinking and reinventing classic models to meet the clean energy needs of the modern age.

The latest example comes courtesy of Toyota, which showcased prototypes of the AE86 Sprinter Trueno hydrogen and Corolla Levin EV at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon 2023.

There is a carbon-neutral path we can take as car lovers," said Akio Toyoda, Toyota's President, at the conference. "The AE 86 Trueno and Carolla Levin are symbols of this belief."

The updated AE 86 Trueno looks exactly like the popular coupe Toyota made from 1983 to 1987, but it runs on a hydrogen-fueled engine.

Related: Toyota Considers Electric Car Reboot Strategy to Compete With Tesla

The Levin, also manufactured from 1983 to 1987, is battery charged.

Toyoda said that although Toyota introduced the car 50 years ago, the "EV" has always "been hidden within its name."

The vehicles still have a classic manual transmission — stick shift, clutch, and all.

Both cars are in the "concept" phase, so the release date and the price tag are still a mystery.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief of Green Entrepreneur

Jonathan Small is editor-in-chief of Green Entrepreneur, a vertical from Entrepreneur Media focused on the intersection of sustainability and business. He is also an award-winning journalist, producer, and podcast host of the upcoming True Crime series, Dirty Money, and Write About Now podcasts. Jonathan is the founder of Strike Fire Productions, a premium podcast production company. He had held editing positions at Glamour, Stuff, Fitness, and Twist Magazines. His stories have appeared in The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, and Good Housekeeping. Previously, Jonathan served as VP of Content for the GSN (the Game Show Network), where he produced original digital video series.

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