Toyota is set to debut an all-new battery electric SUV, it’s first model on the bespoke e-TNGA platform jointly developed with Subaru. The unnamed model will be similar in size to today’s RAV4, with Toyota saying the SUV has been tailored specifically for the European market and will be built at Toyota’s dedicated zero-emissions factory in Japan.
- All-new battery electric SUV to be first of six EVs on new dedicated EV platform
- Will be targeted at the European market
- New EV platform to also spawn a jointly developed compact SUV with Suzuki, a sedan and a MPV
Toyota’s battery electric SUV: What do we know
Taling about the SUV, Toyota's European product development boss, Andrea Carlucci, said the new car will be “very European in the DNA and design.” He explained that a RAV4-sized SUV was chosen for Toyota’s first BEV because “the car will be a global model, and it offers the best balance to put together the needs of all regions.” He added, “It’s quite obvious that there’s volume in more compact models, and this is where we will look in the future with other models for the European market.”
The Toyota e-TNGA platform
Co-developed with Subaru, the e-TNGA platform is designed to be highly adaptable and can be used for vehicles of differing length and wheelbase. It can also be used for front, rear and four-wheel drive powertrains by allowing for motors across both axles, and with a wide range of battery capacities. Toyota also claims that learnings from its hybrids will allow it to increase both range and battery lifespan.
Toyota has previously said that other models planned for the e-TNGA platform will include a compact SUV that it’s developing with Suzuki, a crossover, a large SUV, a sedan and an MPV. Toyota is also investing in solid-state battery research and has said that it plans to launch a “mass-produced” battery electric vehicle (BEV) using this transformative technology “in the first half of the 2020s”.
Toyota’s global plans
As well as the new electric SUV, Toyota will also introduce BEV versions of its Proace and Proace City vans next year. While the arrival of e-TNGA-based models will quickly flesh out Toyota’s BEV offering, the firm remains committed to offering a range of electrified options, with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell models. It aims to be selling 55 lakh electrified cars per year by 2025.
In Europe, Toyota is planning to launch more than 60 new or updated electrified models by 2025. By that date, it expects more than 70 percent of its sales to be of hybrid models, with PHEVs, BEVs and FCEVs accounting for slightly more than 10 percent each.
Toyota’s upcoming launches for India
Coming to the Indian market, Toyota recently launched the refreshed Innova in India with the carmaker now gearing towards the launch of the facelifted Fortuner next year. Also on the cards is the carmaker’s Hilux pick-up truck. The carmaker is also jointly developing a Creta-sized SUV for the Indian market in partnership with Maruti Suzuki. This model is expected to arrive in 2022.
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