For one of the most forward thinking and highly developed cities in the world, Dubai has been a little behind the times when it comes to embracing green cars. However, the wait for hybrid vehicles to arrive in the United Arab Emirates market may soon be over.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai is in the final stage of testing for hybrid cars along with the Toyota Motor Corporation. According to Hajime Sakaguchi, Toyota’s General Manager for Oceania, the Middle East and the South Asia Marketing Division, hybrid vehicles have been supplied to the RTA for testing and so far there have been no complaints.
Should the tests prove to be successful it is expected that Toyota, along with its luxury division Lexus, will being to roll out hybrid versions of its vehicles very soon.
The RTA first introduced green cars in its taxi fleet last year on a test case basis as a response to oil prices hitting $147 a barrel. Now, even though petrol prices have plummeted, demand remains with consumers conscious that oil prices could peak again in the future.
