When Japan played host to Group of Seven leaders last week, the country¡¯s top auto executives formed a united front to deliver a familiar message:

Let¡¯s throw everything we¡¯ve got at carbon emissions reduction, and not just batteries.

It¡¯s an appeal that Akio Toyoda of Toyota has been making for several years, and one that he¡¯s caught grief for as carmakers led by Tesla and BYD stomp the accelerator on electric-vehicle production.