Toyota deploys new EV offensive in Europe

Three Toyota EVs will be on the market soon, and three more will be available by 2026. Luxury brand Lexus also promises three new EVs within twelve months. Nevertheless, the world’s number one car manufacturer won’t change its ‘multi-pathway’ approach.

For Toyota, Europe is significant. It may sell ‘only’ 1.2 million cars on the old continent. Still, it also sees Europe as the region with the most critical environmental goals that must be implemented quickly. That means that Europe will be a continent where Toyotas will be faster electrified, but that doesn’t mean they will all be BEVs.

Where powertrains are concerned, Toyota is aiming at diversity, from hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) over plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to internal combustion engines powered by hydrogen (H2 ICE) or carbon-neutral fuels (CN Fuel ICE).

Nevertheless, Europe will focus on BEVs in the years to come. That’s also why Toyota will guarantee that its batteries retain at least 70% of their original capacity for ten years or 1 million kilometers from now on.

Toyota BEV offensive

Last December, Toyota officially unveiled its electric B-segment SUV, the Urban Cruiser, which premiered at the motor show in Brussels in January.

The model offers a choice between two battery capacities (49 kWh and 61 kWh) and three electromotors, delivering 154 or 174 hp to the front wheels or 184 hp to all four wheels. It sits on the next-generation e-TNGA platform and can be charged up to 22 kW (AC) or 150 kW (DC).

In the D-segment, Toyota already had the bZ4X, but its new version now offers a more extended range (up to 573 km WLTP), three power levels (167 hp, 224 hp, and 343 hp for the AWD version), and two battery capacities of 57.7 and 73.1 kWh. The all-wheel-drive version can now tow trailers up to 1,500 kg. The car also offers an upgraded interior and a more refined suspension.

Last but not least, there is the all-important C-SUV category. Here, Toyota is selling (very well) its second generation of C-HR HEVs. Now, there is the new C-HR+, a BEV with a distinctive look.

With the choice between two battery capacities (57.7 kWh and 77 kWh), it can deliver up to 600 km of range, while the most potent AWD version sprints to 100 kph in 5.2 seconds. The car will be on the market at the end of this year.

The other three BEVs are still in the pipeline for 2026, and there will be another two SUVs and a pickup.

Lexus RZ

Last year, Toyota’s luxury brand sold 20% more cars in Europe. BEV sales doubled, and PHEVs had a 20% market share. Now, Lexus is ready to introduce three new BEVs in the next twelve months.

The first will be the new RZ, which features interesting novelties like ‘Direct 4’, the intelligent AWD system, and an innovative steer-by-wire system that will be standard on the sporty F-Sport variants and optional on other RZ models.

The steer-by-wire version will feature a different, flat steering wheel. The RZ will also offer an ‘interactive manual drive’, where acceleration is electronically divided into 8 ‘gears’ to get the driver ‘more involved’.

We don’t see the necessity of this, but apparently, some people miss the gear changes of their former cars. Like all new Toyota BEVs, the new Lexus will charge faster and with AC and DC.

The next Lexus BEV will be a sedan, and the third will be an SUV again, both still arriving within twelve months from now. With this overview, it’s evident that Lexus also wants to progress in electrification, but like Toyota, it doesn’t want to bet on the same (fully electric) horse. “The right product, in the right place, at the right time” is the new Lexus slogan.