Japanese firm’s EV range is set to gain a luxury fastback flagship and an urban SUV
Toyota will launch five new electric cars in Europe within the next two years, including a small urban SUV and a range-topping luxury fastback.
The new models will join a mid-size SUV-coupé based on last year’s Compact Crossover concept and will arrive as the firm accelerates the expansion of its electric car line-up in the run-up to 2026, when it will begin launching an all-new family of EVs. These new-era EVs will sit atop the modular architecture it revealed in October and feature next-generation batteries that dramatically boost range and efficiency.
Beyond the Compact Crossover revealed last year and these two new cars, details remain undisclosed of the two other EVs Toyota will launch by 2026. However, the suggestion is that they will be SUVs in the vein of the RAV4 and seven-seat Highlander respectively.
Notably, alongside the reveal of the Sport Crossover luxury fastback earlier this year in China, Toyota also showed the Flexspace concept, a family-focused SUV that aims to provide a “cosy home” environment, together with a “reliable” cruising range and a raft of advanced safety functions. It is possible that a production version of this car could follow its sleeker sibling into Europe by 2026.
URBAN SUV
Toyota product development boss Andrea Carlucci said this boldly styled B-segment SUV concept “gives a strong indication of what will be a strong contributor” to Toyota’s European EV sales over the coming years.
The brand will reveal full specifications in the first half of 2024, when it takes the wraps off the production version, which remains unnamed.
The model bears a striking resemblance to the recently revealed eVX concept from Suzuki, with which Toyota has a strategic partnership and collaborates on certain models. However, brand bosses would not be drawn on the extent of the relationship between the two cars. Notably, Suzuki sells its own versions of the RAV4 and Corolla already as part of a partnership in which the two firms collaborate on electrified vehicle development.
The new Toyota is understood to be based on a dedicated architecture related to the e-TNGA platform, which underpins the bZ4X electric SUV. Measuring 4300mm bumper to bumper, it will be positioned as an electric alternative to the Yaris Cross hybrid – and in this role it will be the smallest EV in the Toyota line-
