Toyota and Lexus have been hiding something.
For most of the last year, a narrative has been building through the press, arguing that Toyota was a little behind its peers. Most of the automotive industry has been racing to go electric. Toyota appeared to be lagging behind.
Everyone Else Revealed their Hands First
Smaller, more focused companies like Volvo and Mini announced plans to sell nothing but electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of the decade. Companies closer to Toyota’s own size didn’t quite go that far, but they came close. General Motors announced a plan to sell mostly electric vehicles by 2035 and reach carbon neutrality by 2040. Mercedes-Benz announced that it would go all-electric in markets that could support that decision by 2030.
Toyota announced nothing of the kind. The company continued to dominate hybrid sales – more than 60% of hybrid vehicles sold industry-wide in the third quarter were Toyotas. But EVs? Toyota rolled out exactly one – the curiously named 2023 Toyota bZ4X. And while it appears likely to be a practical choice for a lot of buyers, it didn’t exactly look like a solid foundation for a global empire from one of the largest companies in world history.
It looked like Toyota was well behind its peers. But they were hiding something. At least 17 somethings.
Toyota Goes All-In
Yesterday in Japan, Toyota rolled out a full lineup of EVs. Most are officially concept cars at this point. That means they are design studies intended to show what a future car could look like, not necessarily a car the automaker intends to build soon.
But many appear almost production-ready. Some call back to beloved vehicles from the brand’s history. And if any company has the resources to take a garage full of concept cars to production status fairly quickly, it’s Toyota. The company routinely produces more than a tenth of the global output of cars all by itself.
Toyota promises 30 EVs across the Toyota and Lexus lineups by 2030, “with more on the way.” The Lexus brand will aim “to have BEVs [battery electric vehicles] account for 100% of vehicle sales in North America, Europe, and China,” Toyota says. It did not place a target date on that goal.
Beyond Zero Sub-Brand
The Toyota badge, meanwhile, will adorn a new sub-brand called Beyond Zero. The bZ4X is just the first of them. It will be joined by a subcompact crossover (the red one in the above photo), a compact SUV, a large SUV, and a sedan. We left the briefing unsure whether the smallest of the bunch will make its way to the U.S. But the rest of them surely will.
Several Nostalgic EV Concepts
Other concepts took after historically important Toyota vehicles.
They include a midsize pickup that looks like an electric version of the current Tacoma – a strategy that has worked for Ford, which has sold out of reservations for an electric version of its F-150 through 2025.
Also pictured were a modern take on the beloved FJ Cruiser — this time with four regular doors – and what may be the descendent of the revered MR2 compact sports car.
To be clear, Toyota hasn’t promised these will reach production. But, with the industry going electric, the company won’t be left behind.
