While the entire automotive world jumps on board the electric bandwagon, Japanese automakers have somewhat lagged behind the times. Mazda, Subaru, Honda, and Toyota have been slow in the push towards electrification, and Toyota's CEO has dished out harsh words about the EV obsession on many an occasion. But despite Akio Toyoda's reservations about pursuing only EVs when other alternatives like hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion exists, Toyota has gone ahead and revealed an entire model lineup of future EVs for both Toyota and Lexus. 16 new concepts have been introduced across both brands including SUVs, pickup trucks, buses, off-roaders, and several sports cars.
Toyoda gave a media briefing this morning on the automaker's battery EV strategies for the future, outlining the way forward, particularly when it comes to achieving carbon neutrality. Toyoda acknowledged that EVs are currently "one of the most promising options" when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, but also that it's impossible to make everyone happy with a "one-size-fits-all option."
In an effort to work around this, Toyota identified two electrification strategies, one classified as 'carbon-reducing vehicles' and the other being 'carbon-neutral vehicles'. The latter is the most important. As part of this plan, Toyota revealed a slew of new EV concepts, including new additions to the bZ family that will live alongside the bZ4X.
bZ stands for "beyond ZERO" and signifies Toyota's intent to go beyond just zero emissions. The bZ platform is a dedicated battery EV platform that can be shared across multiple vehicles. The 2022 Toyota bZ4X SUV is the first of these but will be joined by a new midsize SUV and compact SUV, and a small city vehicle engineered with Japan and Europe in mind. Other concepts revealed by Toyoda in the presentation included a midsize sedan and a large SUV with three-row seating that would essentially fill the same role as the Sequoia in the Toyota fleet. He did not mention them specifically, but the images that accompanied the presentation also showed us a fully-electric truck, a small off-roader that looks like a Suzuki Jimny, and a small GR-badged sports car that could possibly revive the MR2 name, or represent the next-generation Toyota GR86.
Toyoda also spoke about the electric future of Lexus. Among the Lexus concepts previewed, various crossovers were shown that would replace the entire lineup from UX to LX. The reveal gave us our best look yet at the Lexus RZ SUV, Lexus's first-ever electric car. But more interestingly, it appears Lexus is planning several sporty EVs. Not only are sleek four-door concepts present, but we also see two low-slung, two-door sports cars, one a convertible and the other coupe. Lexus claims that the new sports car will inherit the "driving taste, or the secret sauce, of the performance cultivated via the development of the LFA," while also saying that the battery packs can be positioned to manage weight balance to change how the car feels.
No technical details were divulged, but a range of single- and dual-motor options could be employed. Toyota will likely leverage the bZ4X's motors from a manufacturing standpoint which means upwards of 200 horsepower in all applications, while batteries could be scaled for application but still achieve more than 200 miles range.
In total, Toyota plans 30 full battery electric vehicles by 2030, encompassing all segments from passenger vehicles to commercial vehicles. The company wants to sell 3.5 million BEVs globally by 2030 and wants EVs to make up 100% of all global sales by 2035. Toyota will still keep its options open, however, and won't shut the door on hydrogen or other propulsion methods, citing an uncertain future that can change at any time.