Toyota president Akio Toyoda has unwrapped no less than 15 wildly diverse concepts for upcoming Toyota and Lexus electric cars, as he detailed plans for the two firms to launch a total of 30 battery EVs by 2030.
The machines – shown alongside Toyota's first bespoke EV, the bZ4X - include a range of new SUVs, commercial vehicles, off-roaders and a Lexus LFA-inspired supercar.
Revealing a bold strategy for the two firms to sell some 3.5 million battery-electric cars by 2030, Toyoda explained that "we need to reduce emissions as much as possible, as soon as possible", and the brands will "expand options for carbon-neutral vehicles", which run on 'clean' energy.
Toyota and Lexus's plan to sell 3.5 million electric cars by 2030, including BEVs and FCEVs, is up from its previous target of two million. Toyoda compares this target to Daimler, PSA and other manufacturers with comparable global volumes to Toyota. "A significant volume is what we're talking about here," he said.
The company has increased its investment in battery development by ¥500 billion (£3.3bn) to ¥2 trillion (£13.3bn).
He highlighted the disparity between carbon-neutral and carbon-reducing vehicles, emphasising that the source of the energy used to run the company's EVs is one of the most important factors in the strategy. Toyota and Lexus, he said, will achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
First, he showed concepts for the bZ-badged EVs that will follow its new bZ4X SUV to market in the near future: a compact SUV with "a beautiful silhouette", an Aygo X-inspired urban SUV designed for Japan and Europe, a mid-sized saloon "which meets expectations for a first car" and a full-sized SUV.
These are the firm's "reasonably priced" mass-production models, but a further 11 models unveiled highlight the diversity of Toyota and Lexus's planned EVs; alongside small commercial urban EVs were full-sized off-roaders, a pick-up truck and even a pair of supercars.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Great to see Toyota proposing EV pick-ups and sports cars. Those are two of the segments missing in EV manufacturing currently. The key thing here is that Toyota have traditionally been the slowest large manufacturer to commit to electrification, and now they've set out their stall. The clear message to car buyers worldwide is surely that the internal combustion engine is now dying fast, if even Toyota are moving into EVs. Now is the time to stop buying new fossil-burning cars.
The fact that Toyota are planning to launch 15 EV’s should not be a shock to anyone. The fact that they have injected some excitement in to their designs is the pleasant surprise.