With more than 6 new electric cars announced for Europe, Toyota wants to prove that it is making progress on the subject of battery models. Is this really the case?
Toyota is communicating on a multitude of new 100% electric products coming to the European market. Behind the volume effect which gives the impression that the Japanese brand has finally decided to move forward on the issue of electric cars, the speech still rings quite hollow.
It was during an event which took place on December 4 in Brussels that Toyota presented its European roadmap, including a first small urban electric SUV planned for next year. Except that it is still only a model without interior, strange for a model planned for the coming months. The same goes for all other models. Should we be worried about the Japanese manufacturer’s plans?
Models for some already known since 2021
By discovering the electric cars announced for the coming years, one thing will perhaps stand out to electric car enthusiasts. Some of these models are already known since a presentation of the brand carried out on December 14, 2021. It is perhaps only that of the Urban SUV of 2024 that we do not find in the models exhibited
This remains consistent, the brand thus confirms the commitments made two years earlier. On the other hand, it is a little confusing that the brand has not presented a more advanced prototype for the two models planned for 2024 and 2025: the Urban SUV Concept and Sport Crossover Concept. Full models are normally used to share the first exterior lines of a concept well in advance of its commercialization.
By seeking to focus the attention of journalists and the public on the exterior designs, it is always possible to imagine that Toyota wishes to hide the work that the teams are doing on the interior of these future models. After a fairly mixed reception to the new interior introduced on bZ4X, Toyota must offer something else for its future electric models.
Almost no technical information
In the same vein, we know nothing about the characteristics of the upcoming models. The Toyota conference seems like an event where nothing is said. Unlike European brands which are now communicating on affordable electric car projects, the Japanese brand does not seem ready and is avoiding addressing this thorny subject.
Toyota was particularly stingy with technical data. Apart from some vague information on batteries or dimensions, the Japanese manufacturer leaves everyone wanting more.
Here’s what we know about the Urban SUV concept of 2024:
- Length: 4.30 m; width: 1.82 m and height: 1.62 m
- This is the most compact model in the future electric range
- The design is almost final
- The SUV is based on the e-TNGA Platform with 2 or 4 wheel drive versions
- It will be offered with two battery sizes (NMC)
For the Sport Crossover Concept, it’s even more vague. We just know that it is:
- A raised fastback sedan, as an alternative to SUVs
- From a model developed jointly with the Chinese manufacturer BYD
Toyota also presented models of the future Toyota FT sports car and the large SUV concept FT-3e which should represent a new generation of models, certainly overpriced.
Faced with this lack of factual information and the discovery of models that are not really models, Toyota’s strategy still raises questions. Is the brand making headway to continue to exist? Or is the Japanese manufacturer preparing surprises?
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