The winds are shifting, and Toyota’s planning 30 electric models over the next ten years.
For awhile now, Toyota has been taking a drip, drip, drip approach to its EV plans, but that changed Tuesday. Now, Akio Toyoda outlined a huge push toward electric models, showing off some sixteen vehicles (including the recently launched bZ4X) and its goal to reach 3.5 million EV sales by 2030.
To that end, Toyota is dropping some $70 billion to electrify its entire model range, and we’re not just talking about cars either. There is plenty to talk about there, of course — the new Lexus RZ, an expanded bZ lineup, some kei car concepts and several sports cars — but there’s even an electrified Tacoma (or at least a remarkably similar model), as well as a mini FJ Cruiser called the “Compact Cruiser EV” concept. The company will also invest $4.4 billion more into its battery technology — with total spending up to nearly $18 billion.
What’s going on with Lexus?
Naturally, it’s not just Toyota-branded vehicles that will hit the EV scene either. The Lexus RZ 450e is arguably the most pertinent here, since it’s likely the closest to actual production. Lexus teased the RZ earlier this month, but at least now we can see what the fully electric crossover will look like. The Electrified Sport obviously caught my eye as well, thanks to its LFA-inspired styling.
No actual technical specs were announced for any of these cars, unfortunately. In the RZ’s case, it’s likely we’ll see a layout and figures similar to the bZ4X — namely a range in the mid-200 to 300-mile region. Beyond that, Lexus seems to hit a pretty good spread with sports cars, convertibles and crossovers. Like several other EV marques, Lexus also aims to go completely electric by the mid-2030s.
Hmm…an MR2 successor, perhaps?
There’s another car here that caught our eye: this sports EV concept. With its proportions and GR badging, this may well be an electric spiritual successor to the beloved MR2. Again, we don’t have any firm technical specs to chew on, but at least this shows that Toyota’s thinking in several different directions when it comes to how they’re interpreting the electric future.
More or less, there are cars here to suit everyone’s tastes and needs, and none look especially berserk, either. We’re not talking Mercedes AVTR concept levels of insane. These are all vehicles Toyota could (and in many cases, will) put into production over the next few years.
Check out more on today’s news in the video below:
