Toyota-Mitarbeiter in den USA gibt zu, im Unternehmen Lobbyarbeit für fossile Brennstoffe betrieben zu haben

what’s new about this? Giant Mega Corporations do this all the time, the most blatant ones being the coal barons.

**Breaking News:** Fossil Fuel “Driven” Business Lobbys for Fossil Fuel

Eh, didn’t the EU recently back off EV mandates by 2035? Hybrids seem like the smart play, but Redditors all know better than internal Automaker departments, clearly.

Excerpt:

>“Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, is using retro-style video games to rally its US workforce behind its corporate goals, including lobbying to relax environmental rules, the Guardian can reveal.

>Through an internal platform called Toyota Policy Drivers, employees can play games with names such as Star Quest, Adventure Quest and Dragon Quest, earning prizes by engaging with company messaging about policy and by contacting federal lawmakers using company-provided talking points…

>…Workers across the Toyota Motor North America subsidiary – which employs tens of thousands – may be eligible to join the program, the company says on its Policy Drivers website, as may those at its 11 US manufacturing facilities and the 4,000 working for its finance and leasing arm…

>…In April, Politico reported that Toyota used the platform to encourage employees to push against a California policy banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, claiming the regulatory program would raise car prices by limiting the availability of combustion-engine and hybrid models. A company spokesperson told Politico that the best path to reduce emissions is consumer choice, and that the ban was “unachievable, unrealistic, and unworkable”.

>Toyota’s use of games to reward such lobbying has not previously been reported…

>…The company has long branded itself as green, pledging to zero out its emissions by 2050, touting its investments in alternative fuels, and championing its “sustainable” hybrid vehicles. Its viewpoints are underlined for workers on the Policy Drivers site…

>…Though less scrutinized than oil and gas companies, Toyota is a major contributor to the climate crisis. Its 2023 emissions exceeded those of the entire country of Australia, Greenpeace found this year. Approached about the finding by Greenpeace, Toyota’s East Asia branch said it prioritizes “sustainable development” and “the happiness of our customers and stakeholders”, and that it aims to cut emissions.

>The company has also played an active role in shaping environmental policy. Public Citizen identified it as the top auto industry financier of climate deniers in the 2024 election cycle, while corporate watchdog InfluenceMap in 2021 ranked it the third-most obstructive company globally on climate policy, behind only Chevron and Exxon.

>Late last year, the automaker donated $1m to the inauguration fund of Donald Trump, who calls climate policy a “scam”. And though it has critiqued the US president’s tariffs and trade policy, it has publicly embraced Trump in recent weeks. Last month, its chairperson and scion, Akio Toyoda, appeared at a Japan Nascar race wearing a “make America great again” hat and Trump-Vance shirt…“

(Source: – https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/19/toyota-employee-lobbying)

Fuck Toyota and Honda they’ve been doing this for years. They are one of the main reason why We were stuck with Tesla as the only viable ev option for years.

And this is supposed to be surprising?

Wake me up when people like this get sent to the firing squad. Now that’s news worthy!

Just bribe Trump, like everyone else….