The future of the automotive industry has created somewhat of a rift between powerful governments and global automakers. If the European Union gets its way, combustion-engined vehicles will be outlawed as soon as 2035. The industrial powerhouse that is Germany has pulled no punches on its stance, with government officials expressing disdain for the proposed ban.

It now seems that Japan is taking a similar stance. The country is hoping to do away with a zero-emissions target for vehicles, which is expected in an upcoming G7 announcement this week. This is according to Reuters, which has seen a draft of the revised framework.

Toyota wants the Japanese government to support EVs and hybrids equally, a desire reflected in the rephrased G7 communique seen by the news agency. Japan is looking to remove a reference to the "collective goal of at least 50% zero-emission vehicles by 2030."

Officials close to the matter have told Reuters that the proposed changes were requested by the Japanese, who have declined to comment on the matter. While it's unclear as to what will appear in the final release expected on Thursday, the draft includes a revised target: "significantly increasing the sale, share, and uptake of zero-emission light-duty vehicles recognizing the range of pathways that members are adopting to approach these goals."

Toyota and several Japanese automakers have come under fire for not committing to the electric future. The world's largest car company by sales has defended itself by saying it has a responsibility to offer customers a wide variety of vehicles. This hasn't gone down well with some environmental groups, with one accusing the automaker of avoiding the fast-approaching EV era.

"Toyota used the pretext of customer choices to avoid answering the question about lobbying activities...to slow the transition toward fossil-fuel-free cars," said Danish fund AkademikerPension.

Japan's auto industry lobby seems to support the company's stance, noting that carmakers should not be restricted in the pursuit of carbon neutrality. Toyota produces a wide assortment of vehicles sold across the world. While the bZ4X will suit the needs of a middle-class European perfectly, there are many parts of the world where electric vehicles just aren't ideal.

For the time being, hybrid vehicles are well-suited for the job and offer the perfect compromise between realistic targets and a desire for carbon neutrality. BMW's CEO agrees with this line of thinking. Oliver Zipse has previously described a ban on ICE vehicles as short-sighted and has warned against a premature ban. "We warn against this [happening] too early and not giving [enough time] for the transformation to [occur] in [other] markets."

His counterpart from Audi is of a different opinion. Markus Duesmann disagrees with the German government's reluctance and sees the 2035 ban as a positive thing. "Our plan for phasing [out ICE] technology is in place," said the CEO.