Toyota Mirai: hydrogen car available for free

Hydrogen cars are extremely rare on the car market. In view of the negligible demand from customers, this is quite understandable. The only thing left for manufacturers to do is to score points with an attractive pricing policy. However, the Toyota Mirai is being launched at an almost outrageously high discount. It is currently being given away in California.

Toyota Mirai in California at a special price

With the so-called mobility bonus, German politicians succeeded in boosting the sale of electric cars for many months. The recent slump in sales of electric cars shows what happens when such subsidies are removed. But what does it actually look like if the state does not offer to cover any costs? Then the manufacturer has to step into the breach to make it more attractive on the market.

As seen with the Toyota Mirai. The Japanese car manufacturer is not offering its model in the US state of California at the normal list price of 55,000 US dollars. Instead, there is a whopping 40,000 US dollars discount. And that’s not all. The manufacturer is also adding hydrogen worth 15,000 US dollars on top. This will supply the vehicle with energy for six years. Anyone who paid attention in math class will realize that the hydrogen car is practically a gift for the buyer.

There is a catch

Now the question naturally arises as to what motivates Toyota to sell its Toyota Mirai at a ridiculously low price Auto Motor und Sport has the answers. One reason is undoubtedly marketing. The car market in California is very competitive. The high sales figures for electric cars make it clear that the demand for modern vehicles based on renewable energies is high. Accordingly, Toyota simply wants to reach new potential buyers. After all, it is always the best form of advertising when your own cars are visible on the road and can be seen by others.

Another reason given by Toyota is a very practical one. The Toyota Mirai is blocking the manufacturer’s warehouses. To make room for the latest model from 2024, the giveaway campaign seems to be the perfect opportunity. The sparse distribution of hydrogen filling stations in the USA certainly also plays a major role in the low price. After all, a car is pointless if it can’t be refueled.

A look at California makes it clear that such filling stations are almost only located in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. In the future, we are therefore likely to see several Toyota Mirai models primarily in these two metropolitan areas. Perhaps the Toyota Mirai campaign can stimulate the construction of new hydrogen filling stations. So far, unfortunately, only the opposite can be observed. For example, a report by TechCrunch shows that the fuel company Shell recently closed all its hydrogen filling stations in California.