Toyota has unveiled its future intentions under a new CEO, and it seems that the corporation is finally pursuing electrification. In his introduction, new President and CEO Koji Sato said that Toyota and Lexus, its premium subsidiary, would develop new electric cars. He also said that the corporation is working on its “next-generation” battery electric cars, which would debut in 2026 under the Lexus brand. It’s unclear what “next-generation” implies, but Sato said that Toyota is working on “everything from the battery and platform to how a vehicle is designed suited for BEVs,” in addition to increasing its existing EV selection.
According to Reuters, Toyota is under criticism for being slow to embrace electric car technology and for refusing to expand beyond its hybrid vehicles, such as the Prius. At the press conference, Sato highlighted that the automaker’s sluggish EV adoption was mostly due to communication challenges. He also said that the manufacturer would maintain its “multi-pathway” and “omni-directional” strategy, implying that hybrid cars will not be phased out anytime soon. Toyota, on the other hand, expects to expedite its EV ambitions under new management and to adopt a “BEV-first approach.”
So yet, the carmaker has only launched one vehicle based on their e-TNGA BEV platform, the bZ4X. The business had said that it will be the first of seven “Beyond Zero” electric cars to be released by 2025. Nevertheless, Lexus is yet to begin selling the RZ, the brand’s first electric vehicle designed from the ground up.
