- Toyota announced a HUGE plan for electric vehicles, launching EVs in every segment by 2030.
- The company will invest $35 billion in BEVs after falling well behind the competition in the category.
- In addition to some bland sedans and crossovers, there are really cool-looking sports cars, one FJ-looking SUV and even a pickup truck.
For years, Toyota led the world in hybrid vehicles, but not so much in pure battery electrics. Apart from a RAV4 compliance car made by Tesla, there wasn’t much in the way of BEVs with the Toyota logo on them. That all changed today with an announcement out of Tokyo.
After years of insisting that hydrogen was the way forward, and after falling way behind almost every other carmaker on the planet in BEVs, Toyota today revealed an EV plan that includes almost every kind of battery electric vehicle the company sells. The plan will represent a $35 billion investment in electric vehicles starting in 2022 and going through 2030, chairman Akio Toyoda said.
“We are living in a diversified world and in an era in which it is hard to predict the future. Therefore, it is difficult to make everyone happy with a one-size-fits-all option,” Akio Toyoda said. “That is why Toyota wants to prepare as many options as possible for our customers around the world.”
And did they ever. Check out the gallery with Toyota electric cars, trucks, SUVs and even that e-Pallete thing Toyota showed at CES three years ago. Many of the sedans and crossovers looked a little bland, but in among those were really cool-looking sports cars from both Toyota and Lexus, as well as an FJ-looking SUV that will sell like crazy. Maybe. Probably. There was even a pickup truck.
“With the goal of achieving a carbon-neutral society, (Akio) Toyoda reconfirmed his commitment to providing solutions and options to as many customers around the world as possible,” the company said. “In addition to continuing to develop hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), Toyota will expand its offering of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), providing safety, security and convenience for Toyota and Lexus customers.”
Toyota the company said it will reach 3.5 million battery electric vehicles annually by 2030, with 30 models across both Toyota and Lexus brands, “...with more on the way,” the company added. That will put Toyota electric vehicles in all segments: sedans, SUVs, K-Cars (little micro-compact models sold in Japan), commercial vehicles and other segments, the maker said.
In North America, Toyota has been the industry leader in electrified vehicles for nearly 22 years, but that was hybrids, vehicles with electric motors that supplemented onboard gasoline engines. “To-date, approximately 85% of Toyota’s electrified vehicles sold in North America are Toyota-branded models,” the company said. “Keeping pace with the changing tastes of luxury consumers, by 2030, Lexus aims to realize a full lineup of BEVs in all vehicle segments, and to have BEVs account for 100% of vehicle sales in North America, Europe and China. Lexus buyers will have access to a wide range of vehicles dedicated to battery electrics that offer safety, security and of course, Lexus styling.”
Let us sift through these and pick out some favorites and get back to you. For now, click through the gallery and choose the ones you think will sell and let us know in the comments.
