Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to launch in US in October

Toyota introduced its Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in the middle of December last year. The Japanese brand revealed that the funky looking vehicle will go on sale in Japan immediately, followed by Europe and the US later this year.

Toyota has now announced that the Mirai will be rolled into select Toyota dealerships in the US starting October 2015. Thanks to strong initial demand in Japan, Toyota recently announced that it will increase the production of the Mirai. The new plan calls for production to increase from 700 units this year to approximately 2,000 in 2016 and around 3,000 in 2017.

According to Toyota, the supply structure should be adjusted to reflect the level of demand for the vehicle, in view of around 1,500 orders being received in the first month of sales in Japan and the prospect of the model being launched in Europe and the USA later this year.

On the other hand, what makes the Mirai so special is the fact that it’s a family sedan that can cover up to 483km on a single tank of hydrogen and can be refuelled in under five minutes. Add water vapour as the only form of emission and you get a vehicle which is safer and greener than conventional sedans and a whole lot of hybrid vehicles, too.