- Toyota will have four new EV models for sale in the US by 2027
- The company has previously been outspoken on the topic of clean electric cars
- Toyota’s North American VP wants a “fair share” of the US electric car market
Toyota has just revealed plans for four new pure electric cars – and they’re part of a US push that’s quite a shift from the car giant’s previous comments about electric cars.
Toyota’s chairman, Akio Toyoda, has previously been vocal about battery electric vehicles. He claimed back in 2024 that the electric car segment will only ever account for a maximum of 30% of the market, adding that he believed “customers, not regulations or politics” should make the decision on which path to trust, according to a Forbes report at the time.
As a result, the company continued to offer a multi-pronged strategy to reduce its overall emissions that included a heavy focus on plug-in hybrid, self-charging hybrid and even hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Up until this point, it has been relatively slow to offer a line-up that includes more pure battery-electric options, with the bZ4x and a handful of battery-powered commercial vehicles flying the flag for battery packs and electric motors.
However, the Japanese company has just unveiled plans for several new pure electric models that it hopes will help it gain a competitive edge in the US, where the current government is creating an increasingly uncertain market by removing tax credits and even reversing landmark decisions around greenhouse gases.
The upcoming Highlander will offer seven seats and premium surrounds at a time when Tesla announced it was discontinuing its large Model X. Similarly, Toyota has already started accepting payments for the smaller bZ SUV, the all-electric midsize CH-R and a more robust, estate-like bZ Woodland model.
These four dedicated battery electric vehicles will join a deeper line-up of hybrid EV and plug-in hybrid options that span everything from minivans and trucks to popular crossovers and SUVs.
David Christ, Toyota Motor North America’s vice president, told Automotive News that the company recognizes that sales are down after “the federal incentives went away.” But the company feels it deserves its fair share of the electricity market that is there. “These four cars will help us do that,” Christ said.
Too late for Toyota?
This new approach from Toyota isn’t just aimed at making waves in the US market, where the new bZ was among the best-selling electric cars in the US last month, beating out the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV9 and Honda Prologue, according to Electrek.
Europe has also seen a number of new electric models on the way, including the new Urban Cruiser compact SUV, which starts at just £28,495 (around $39,000 / AU$55,000), as well as the aforementioned C-HR+ and updated bZ4x. There are also a handful of commercial vehicles and a version of the bZ Woodland model called the bZ4x Touring in the UK.
This newfound commitment to electric vehicles may not bring headline-grabbing range or ultra-fast charging speeds, but it adds Toyota’s long-standing reputation for quality and reliability to the wider electric market.
It also comes at a time when new Chinese brands are seemingly coming online every month. For those unwilling to take the risk on a newbie, Toyota represents a safe pair of hands.
This, and very competitive pricing, could well make Akio Toyoda’s remarks feel a little silly, especially given that some European countries have already seen EVs take much more than 30% of the total market, with Norway on track for 100% zero-emission new car sales in the coming years.
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