Toyota Will Bring Two Evs To The Us This Year
Japanese automaker is finally getting EV religion, after being hybrid pioneer.
- Toyota will launch two EVs and a plug-in hybrid in the U.S. this year, after decades of hybrid success.
- A sedan and a compact SUV the size of a RAV4 are likely to be the first EV models on sale stateside, based on the e-TNGA platform.
- Toyota aims to electrify almost half of its range by 2025, and isn’t dropping hydrogen plans, opting for variety.
Toyota plans to introduce two new battery-electric vehicles in the U.S. this year in addition to one plug-in hybrid, putting a firm timeline to its EV plans after showing years of skepticism about the demand for electric vehicles. The effort is part of a plan to electrify a large portion of its model range, with Toyota aiming to have 40% of its U.S. lineup composed of battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen-electric vehicles, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids by 2025. The automaker also hopes to dial that share up to 70% by 2030.
Just what could we expect later this year when it comes to EVs?
Toyota has showed teaser images of two models over the past several months, suggesting that a Camry-sized EV is likely in the works for later this year alongside an SUV that could be close to the RAV4 in footprint, if a lower and more rakish in profile, as a released sketch suggested.
Toyota Launching Two New Evs One New Plug
The automaker also explains its intent to continue selling hybrids in addition to EVs.
Toyota’s tempered approach to electric vehicles will pick up with plans to introduce two new battery-powered vehicles and a plug-in hybrid this year. That is on top of the new 2021 Toyota Highlander hybrid and hybrid-only 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan and Venza crossover that recently entered the market.
The fresh trio of electrified models will debut this year and hit the market in 2022, Toyota Motor North America executive vice president of sales Bob Carter says. Being coy, he says one of the pure electrics is a crossover and at least one is for the Toyota brand, suggesting the other is a Lexus and has a sexier body shape. He would not offer us any details about the plug-in hybrid.
The new electrified vehicles are specifically for the U.S. market, but initially will be built in Japan. Toyota is developing a dedicated electric vehicle platform it calls e-TNGA, that is flexible enough to underpin front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive vehicles.
Toyota Announces Its New Bev Series Toyota Bz In Establishment Of A Full Line
Toyota City, Japan, April 19, 2021Toyota Motor Corporation announced Toyota bZ, its newly established series of battery electric vehicles , in establishment of a full line-up of electrified vehicles, on April 19. At Auto Shanghai, a motor show held in Shanghai, China, Toyota unveiled a concept version of the Toyota bZ4X, which will be the first model in the bZ series.
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Toyota Says It’ll Build An All
Will it be an electrified Tacoma? A Tundra? Both?
A few years ago, the idea of an electric pickup truck seemed … unimaginable. Trucks are meant to haul, tow, and play in remote places where electric car chargers are hardly found. Fast forward to today, and we’re seeing a wave of electric trucks that will hit the market soon from names familiar and new . Toyota is the latest big-name automaker to confirm plans to bring an electric truck to market, whether it’s in the form of a Tundra, Tacoma or both.
Using the stage at the Shanghai auto show, Toyota said it will bring hybrid and battery-electric powertrains to its truck lineup. It stopped short of indicating which specific nameplates will have an electric variant, and this is the first time we’ve heard the automaker speak about electrifying its trucks.
Both Chevrolet and Ford have confirmed that they are working on electric versions of the Silverado and F-150, respectively, so the idea of a full-size electric Toyota Tundra makes sense. Toyota’s full-size truck is about to enter its third generation, and it shouldn’t surprise us if the new pickup is equipped with some kind of electrification. The Rivian R1T, another full-size electric truck, should be arriving in the next few months, and the Tesla Cybertruck will be here one dayit may be scheduled to go on sale this year, but that is likely optimistic. The GMC Hummer EV pickup will arrive for 2022.
Toyota’s Current Electrified Vehicles
Today, Toyota has 17 electrified vehicles on sale in the U.S. the 337,000 sold last yearup 22 percentaccounted for 16 percent of its sales. With the new Highlander, and the Sienna that is only offered as a hybrid, and the 2021 Lexus LS 500H hybrid coming soon, that figure will grow to at least 20 percent this year and the goal is to have 40 percent of new vehicle sales be electrified models by 2025 and increase that to 70 percent by 2030.
As for the good old V-8 gasoline engine, we are told it still holds a special place but will transition out eventually. What we are not told: whether the next-generation 2022 Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck and Toyota Land Cruiser SUV will still rumble with eight cylinders. Rumor has it they will get V-6s.
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What Went Wrong At Toyota Why Is It Working To Delay The Inevitable
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If there were a Corporate Electric Vehicle Hall of Fame, Toyota would surely join Tesla as one of the inaugural members. The Japanese automakers introduction of the Prius hybrid in 1997 was a milestone in automotive history. Since then, the company has sold some 15 million hybrids worldwide, and has gradually added hybrid powertrains to more of its offeringsa majority of Toyota and Lexus models are now available in hybrid versions.
Above: A Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell taxi
Toyota was also an early pioneer of fuel cell vehicles, and it has stubbornly stuck with this technology, although most experts now agree that it isnt suitable for passenger cars, and most other automakers have abandoned it. .
Toyota has been an electrification innovator on several levelsin addition to its leadership in the hybrid and fuel cell fields, it produced an electric RAV4, with battery packs from Tesla, for a short time. Furthermore, the company recently launched three new electric models, although so far, these are only for sale in China.
In Establishment Of A Full Line
In establishing a full line-up of electrified vehicles, Toyota has been progressing its plan to introduce 15 BEV models by 2025, including seven new BEV models of the Toyota bZ series. In its development of BEVs, Toyota has taken two distinct approaches based on the idea of utilizing the advantages of BEVs, considering CO2 reductions from LCA.
The first seeks to realize “mobility for all,” with a focus on small-capacity, short-distance, ultra-compact BEVs with establishing new business models such as commercialization of battery reuse and recycling. The Toyota C+pod, which was launched in December 2020, is one example.
In contrast, the new Toyota bZ series of BEVs takes on a “human-centered” approach aimed at widespread use in regions such as China, the U.S., and Europe, where there is significant demand for BEVs, and where there is a large supply of renewable electricity. “bZ” stands for “beyond Zero,” and incorporates the desire to provide customers with value that exceeds mere “zero emissions.” Toyota intends to launch BEVs that will be welcomed by all customers. The Toyota bZ series models will be built on new BEV dedicated platforms with features as follows:
- Practical cruising range that considers the operating environment, so that customers can choose our products with peace of mind
- Open and freestyle interior and uniquely designed exterior utilizing BEV packaging
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Toyota Says It Isnt Anti
Toyota in April revealed bZ4X SUV Concept, which leads the way to the first Toyota battery-electric vehicle in years for the U.S. market, set to arrive in 2022.
About the size of the very much in-demand Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, the bZ4X will be one of seven electric vehicles to arrive as part of the bZ electric-vehicle sub-brand, and one of 15 dedicated battery electric models due to arrive by 2025. And theyll all be part of around 70 electrified models globally by 2025.
That plan, at face value, sounds bullish. But a month later, when Toyota presented some of the numbers surrounding the plan, the strategy suddenly sounded downright timid. By 2030, it said, 70% of its vehicles will be electrified in some form, while battery electric models will make up just 15% of the lineup.
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid
That leaves 30% of the lineup, in nine years, still with no form of electrification. And despite having an electrified version of each model in the lineup, 85% of the lineup will still have a fuel tank, an engine, and a tailpipe.
For a reality check, that sounds decidedly less bullish than Ford, which last week said that it expects battery electric vehicles to make up 40% of its global sales by 2030, with the U.S. not that far behind.
Lisa Materazzo, the group vice president for Toyota division marketing, argued that Toyota is all in on BEVs.
Toyota RAV4 EV teasers
Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda, at Tesla stand, 2011 Detroit Auto Show
Jaguar Land Rover Limited
New BEVs on the horizon? Yes, but nothing concrete other than the I-Pace, which is already in production.
The storied English brands Jaguar and Land Rover have been a subsidiary of Tata Motors, an Indian multinational firm, since 2008. The Jaguar side of the company has already made waves with its Tesla-fighting electric SUV, the I-Pace, but the company says the Land Rover side will have its first EV model by 2024.
According to an announcement the company made in early 2021, all Jaguar and Land Rover models will have an electric version by the end of the decade, with six new electric Land Rover SUVs over the next five years and an all-electric Jaguar lineup by 2025.
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Toyota Is Electric Vehicle Pioneer
Carter says Toyota has been a pioneer since it began researching electric vehicles in the late 1960s and developed its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 1996 an electric Toyota RAV4 in 1997 and its follow-up in 2012 that was handled in collaboration with Tesla.
And, of course, the Toyota Prius that came out in 1997 and became the punching bag of the industryyou got a speeding ticket in what? Four generations later, Toyota has sold almost 1.9 million Priuses and Carter says the current sales decline is part of the natural evolution of the brand that keeps marching with new vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle.
An Unused Big Battery Is A Heavy Expensive Brick
The way Pratt sees it, when the average U.S. commute is 16 miles, it is wasteful to pay for a vehicle with a 300-mile range battery. It is a “heavy expensive brick” made with precious metals that may never be used to capacity and raises the question as to whether the customer is buying something that won’t be used much.
A hybrid might make more sense, Pratt says. Factoring in manufacturing and operating emissions, a plug-in hybrid can have roughly the same carbon footprint as a pure electric vehicle, cost less, require less battery, cause less range anxiety, and have more recharge options. In a different part of the country, with more renewable energy, the BEV makes more sense.
Not one size fits all, Pratt argues. There are different vehicles for different needs and circumstances and rightsizing might make for a larger impact in reducing harmful emissions overall if more people are in a vehicle with some degree of electrification. Which is a long way of saying Toyota is not following the lead of General Motors and others who have made big sweeping pronouncements about switching to all-electric lineups. GM, for example, aspires to sell only EVs after 2035.
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Toyotas First Car On New E
Toyota was quick on the draw with hybrids, but the Japanese company has been relatively slow to introduce battery-electric models to its line-up. Now its getting serious with EVs, though, and it all starts with this car, the Toyota bZ4X.
Previewed here in concept form, this SUV will be the first of seven bZ EVs that will appear between now and 2025 as part of a 15-model all-electric push by Toyota. The car will sit on e-TNGA, the fully electric version of the companys modular platform, and it has been developed in conjunction with Subaru, which is said to have had input into the cars four-wheel drive system.
Toyota has declined to provide any dimensions for the bZ4X Concept, beyond labelling it a medium-sized SUV. But it says the 4 in its badge stands for its size, and it appears similar in overall dimensions to the companys own RAV4.
The new arrivals front and rear overhangs both look short, though, so the wheelbase may well be longer than the more conventionally powered models. Indeed, Toyota says the rear legroom in the bZ4X Concept is similar to that of the Lexus LS limousine. Its fair to say that the car should be a rival for the likes of the VW ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq.
Toyota hasnt released a clear top-down image of the car but the company says the bZ4X incorporates solar charging, and this is almost certain to be achieved through roof-mounted panels.
Electrified Toyota Vehicle Vs Gas Calculator
Switching to an Electrified Toyota Vehicle Helps Foster a More Sustainable Future
Tell us a little bit about your driving habits, and we can show you how an electrified Toyota vehicle can help you get more out of every litre of fuel, while reducing your carbon footprint.
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Toyota’s New Ev Lineup
One of the six new electrics is, predictably, the compact crossover Toyota and Subaru recently announced that they’ll jointly develop. The platform that will sit beneath that vehicle will be adapted for the other five EVs Toyota outlined, and Toyota is calling the architecture “e-TNGA” in a reference to the TNGA modular architecture slowly propagating throughout its mainstream gas- and hybrid-powered car and SUV lineup.
According to Toyota, e-TNGA will accommodate an electric motor in front , in the rear , or in both locations . The positioning of the front seats and battery will be fixed, but the platform’s wheelbase will be flexible to allow for different vehicle sizes. That is how e-TNGA will be manipulated in order to underpin the other five, differently sized EVs Toyota has in store beyond the compact crossover shared with Subaru. There also will be a small car , as well as another smallish crossover , a compact sedan, a minivan, and a mid-size SUV.
Volkswagen Group Of America
New BEVs on the horizon? Yes.
In the wake of its diesel emissions scandaldubbed Dieselgate by many observersVolkswagen committed itself to becoming an EV-focused auto manufacturer. Volkswagen Group includes Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen under its umbrella.
The corporation says it will launch 70 pure electric vehicles and 60 hybrids by the end of the decade, some of which are already in production.
VWs most recent addition is the Volkswagen ID.4, a small electric SUV aimed at mass-market consumers. Audi already had an E-Tron model in production and recently introduced its stunning electric flagship, the E-Tron GT, which is built on the same platform as the equally fetching Porsche Taycan EV.
Even Bentley will get in on the EV revolution. Its CEO says all Bentleys will be plug-inseither hybrid or pure electricby 2026, and all Bentleys will be electric-only by the end of the decade.
The Lamborghini component has been more coy about potential electrification plans, although the Terzo Millennio concept unveiled in 2017 invites speculation into the companys plans.
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Toyota Led On Clean Cars Now Critics Say It Works To Delay Them
The auto giant bet on hydrogen power, but as the world moves toward electric the company is fighting climate regulations in an apparent effort to buy time.
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The Toyota Prius hybrid was a milestone in the history of clean cars, attracting millions of buyers worldwide who could do their part for the environment while saving money on gasoline.
But in recent months, Toyota, one of the worlds largest automakers, has quietly become the industrys strongest voice opposing an all-out transition to electric vehicles which proponents say is critical to fighting climate change.
Last month, Chris Reynolds, a senior executive who oversees government affairs for the company, traveled to Washington for closed-door meetings with congressional staff members and outlined Toyotas opposition to an aggressive transition to all-electric cars. He argued that gas-electric hybrids like the Prius and hydrogen-powered cars should play a bigger role, according to four people familiar with the talks.
Behind that position is a business quandary: Even as other automakers have embraced electric cars, Toyota bet its future on the development of hydrogen fuel cells a costlier technology that has fallen far behind electric batteries with greater use of hybrids in the near term. That means a rapid shift from gasoline to electric on the roads could be devastating for the companys market share and bottom line.
