Toyota is soon to relaise a goal set in June 2003: to introduce in Japan and Europe from 2006 vehicles with zero amounts of mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium – it also aimed to reduce the use of lead to a tenth of its 1996 level.
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The vehicle built under the stricter standards – most likely a new Lexus LS – will first be released in 2006 in Japan and in markets with stricter regulations, such as Europe, where use of the four heavy metals is expected to be banned by 2008, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, according to CBS Marketwatch.
Toyota will become the world’s first automaker to release such a vehicle, the report said, though the automaker itself reportedly declined to comment.
The automaker will continue to use lead in its lead-acid batteries, which is allowed by European regulations, CBS Marketwatch said.
