Toyota radically upgrades EV plan with TEN new electric cars now due by 2026!

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Toyota has announced a radical amendment to EV launch strategy and has confirmed that it will release ten new battery-electric cars by 2026. 

Some of the new models are likely to use an upgraded version of the brand’s current-generation e-TNGA platform that underpins the BZ4X and the Lexus RZ. 

However, Toyota has officially announced it will introduce a new battery-electric platform from 2026 onwards, that “will double driving range by using batteries with far greater efficiency, while also offering designs and driving performance to set hearts racing”. 

The news comes after Toyota has been under sustained fire from some quarters for being a slow adopter of electric vehicles. Instead of pushing a wide release of EVs, Toyota has mainly concentrated on its successful lineup of partially-electric hybrid cars.

How has Toyota changed its EV strategy since the last update?

Earlier indications of Toyota’s electrification strategy included the news that it would introduce a new EV platform from 2026 onwards, which is still stated to be the case. 

However, the only BEVs confirmed one month ago were the BZ4X, the BZ3 sedan for China and the Lexus RZ. 

It was also stated at the time that Lexus would be the first Toyota subsidiary to gain electric models at a higher price point, with more budget-friendly Toyota products to follow. 

In October 2022, Toyota suspended some of its work on 30 EV projects that were outlined in 2021 and decided to reboot its EV strategy to better compete with the likes of Tesla. 

Toyota has had a watchful eye over Tesla, and is using the American EV maker as a benchmark for future cars. 

Last year, Toyota engineers praised the current Model Y as a “work of art” after deconstructing the vehicle. 

What could Toyota’s next ten EV models be?

If we count the current BZ4X, BZ3 sedan and Lexus RZ, there are seven more models to be brought to market between now and 2026. 

Toyota has confirmed a new three-row electric SUV that will be built in the USA, but we could also see an electrified utility vehicle, a sports car, an electric small SUV and even a large Land-Cruiser sized SUV.

Toyota says two more unnamed models for China will be brought to market in 2024. 

As for Australia, Toyota has announced it will introduce three EVs in three years, starting with the BZ4X. 

New three-row electric SUV to be built in the USA

Toyota has announced it will build a new three-row SUV in the USA, likely as a way to be included in America’s new incentives program for building electric cars in the USA. 

Called the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the new US law offers a USD$7500 federal EV tax incentive for any electric vehicle built in the USA. 

Global carmakers including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and BMW either currently build EVs in the USA, or plan to do so well before 2030.

For Australia, the Toyota BZ4X has been confirmed for local shores and will launch in the fourth quarter of 2023. The model is set to compete with the Tesla Model Y and will cost around $75,000 locally.