It seemed like Toyota wasn't so keen on jumping into the EV wave, up until now! Akio Toyoda, the CEO of Toyota took the center stage last week to tell the world of its ambitious electrification plan. And the mic-drop was with 15 vibrant EV prototypes, including revived names of long-lost Toyota and Lexus offerings.
The bundle included small funky and boxy city cars (clearly for Japan), some cool-looking sports coupes (hinting at reincarnations of the Toyota MR2 and Lexus LFA), a colorful recreational SUV (possible return of Toyota FJ Cruiser), and a sinister pack of Lexus EVs. While many of these concepts will take a long time to become a reality, there are a few that we could get hands-on in the next 5 years.
The Toyota electric truck which will wear the Tacoma badge might be the first non-bZ model to reach production in 2023, along with the all-electric Lexus RZ crossover (based on the Toyota bZ4X). But we are particularly stoked about the Toyota Sports EV and the Lexus Supercar EV. Just when we thought that the EV space would be dominated by newcomers from America and Europe, here we are with the Japs dropping in surprises!
More than a dozen new vehicles are showcased by Toyota and Lexus; including possible all-electric reincarnations of the Toyota MR2, Toyota FJ-Cruiser, and a Lexus LFA successor.
Toyota Goes "Warp Mode" With EV Development
Toyota has pledged to covert its fleet into zero-emission vehicles by 2030. This not only includes EVs but also hydrogen and hybrid vehicles. But electric will take center stage, and that is what Toyota and Lexus have emphasized with the 15 surprises showcased on December 14, 2021.
The automaker is pumping in $70 billion for the development of an all-electric line-up. The bunch that we see here will all be production-ready by 2025 and Toyota plans to take the zero-emission fleet to 30 by 2030. Toyota is also bumping up its battery production investment to $17.6 billion that also including a new battery plant in North Carolina.
Return Of Nostalgic Toyota Nameplates
Of the 15 vehicles showcased by Toyota-Lexus, there are a few "nostalgic" ones. The leisure off-roading SUV in blue has a lot of design similarities to the discontinues Toyota FJ Cruiser. This one looks to lock horns with the likes of the speculated Ford Bronco EV and Jeep Wrangler Electric.
Next up is the cool-looking yellow Toyota Sports EV, which seems to be the all-electric revival of the fun-packed Toyota MR2. The revival call has been making rounds since 2018 ever since Akio Toyoda hinted at reviving Toyota's "three brothers" - MR2, Celica, and Supra.
The third anticipated offering is an all-electric truck that looks to carry the "Tacoma" name forward. This would be the first EV to touch US shores and would fare as a completing counterpart to the Ford F-150 Lightning. As for the rest of this bunch, it's all on crossovers, thanks to the ever-increasing demand for tall chunky-wheeled cars.
The BZ Family Is Getting Bigger
Toyota has already unveiled its first-ever all-electric crossover with the bZ4X. Now the bZ family is expanding with four new models. The new entries include a bZ Compact SUV with a sporty silhouette and funky colors: a bZ SDN mid-size sedan, and two new SUVs with a three-row bZ SUV, and a smaller crossover sitting below the bZ4X.
Slew Of Plush Lexus EVs, Including An Electric LFA
Lexus's inclusion in this list has come as a surprise. We were sure of the RZ Compact SUV, an electrified Lexus, breaking cover since the unveiling of the bZ4X. But nothing prepared us for the others in Toyota's luxury division's list. The most exciting of this lot is a two-seater sports car. Toyota states that this cool coupe has a 435-mile range and will do 0-62 MPH in under 2.5 seconds.
It is also expected to pack a lot of bleeding-edge techs, including solid-state batteries. Mr. Toyoda also said it to have a "secret sauce" which he created during the development of the Lexus LFA. Other than these two, Lexus also showcased a three-row SUV and a performance EV sedan.
The Bunch Includes Boxy City Cars As Well
Toyota is incomplete without quirky city cars, and this fleet has three of them. The first is called e-Palette, which is a self-driving shuttle and was revealed as one of the official vehicles for transporting athletes at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The newcomers to this list include two"boxes". A sub-compact called Micro-Box and a compact van called Mid Box aim at making urban life simpler.
The Biggest Electric Overhaul By Any Age-Old Carmaker Yet
It sure did make us question Toyota's future when they were not getting on board the EV makeover. But now with the surprise reveal, they sure have proved us wrong big time! Toyota is expecting to sell over 3.5 million BEVs globally by 2030. That is huge numbers for a deep-rooted automaker like Toyota.
You see, it is comparatively easy for a newcomer to boom in the EV world. But things get tough for age-old automakers like Toyota, Honda, Ford, and Porsche to make that transition. Toyota wants its customers to buy an ICE-equivalent EV for an ICE-equivalent price. And their ambitious plan sure seems to have the secret to crack that code.
Sources: Pressroom.toyota.com, Global.toyota, Cars.com, Motorauthority.com, Carscoops.com