Nick Carey and Tim Kelly

TOKYO, Reuters – Many parts of the globe aren’t ready for zero emission vehicles. This is why Toyota Motor (NYSE) Corp didn’t sign a pledge to eliminate fossil fuel cars by 2040 this week, as the largest automotive manufacturer in the world stated on Thursday.

Six large car manufacturers, including General Motors, Ford, Volvo Cars of Sweden, and Volvo Cars of Canada. Daimler AG (DE)’s Mercedes-Benz signed the Glasgow Declaration for Zero Emission Cars & Vans. This was also done by a variety of other countries, including India.

However, Toyota and No. The No. 2 global automotive manufacturer Volkswagen AG (OTC) was not present in the United States, China or Germany.

Toyota spokesperson told Reuters that if the infrastructure for charging, energy, and economics are available, Toyota is ready to support zero emission vehicles.

The spokesperson stated that “But, in many parts of the globe such as Asia and Africa, Middle East… an environment suitable to promote full zero-emission transport has yet not been established.” We believe it will take longer …; so it’s difficult for us at this stage to agree to the joint declaration.

The Munich Mobility Show released a report in April that showed huge disparities worldwide in the ownership of electric vehicles.

The European Union, China, and America are experiencing record sales.

The cumulative number of electric cars registered in South America through 2020, which has a population exceeding 420,000,000, was below 18.,000.

Africa’s 1.2billion inhabitants were registered in South Africa only. They accounted for just 1,509 cars in 2020.

Volkswagen (DE) said that the pace of adoption for electric vehicles would vary from one region to the next. Chief Executive Herbert Diess also dismissed Volkswagen’s zero-emissions pledge during a conference held on Wednesday.

Diess stated that it could be a good idea to still use the synthetic fuel car in Latin America by 2035.

This story was rewritten to add a media tag.