Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it is looking to offer an electrified option for every car model in its lineup by around 2025, the latest sign that it is readying to pursue a chunk of the growing market for green vehicles./english.kyodonews.net

The major Japanese automaker, which plans to roll out an all-electric vehicle in China in 2020 and expand to other markets including Japan, India and the United States, said it will increase the number of battery electric vehicle models to more than 10 in the first half of the 2020s.

It also plans to expand its lineup of plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars in the 2020s.

The announcement comes after Toyota said last week it is entering talks with Panasonic Corp. to jointly develop safe and energy efficient rechargeable car batteries, and that it aims to sell 5.5 million electrified cars, more than half of its total global sales, by 2030.

A wave of tighter emission regulations is pushing the auto industry to shift toward environmentally-friendly cars, specifically all-electric models.

Britain and France plan to ban cars running on gasoline or diesel by 2040, while China, the world's largest car market, is contemplating a similar move.