Toyota, which has hung back from rivals in proliferating battery-electric vehicles, is moving ahead with new BEVs, including a new pickup truck.
At a Brussels event, the Japanese automaker talked up an updated bZ4X, an all-new model called the C-HR+, as well as the recently launched Urban Cruiser. But the company also showed silhouettes of three new BEV models to tease audiences, including what is clearly a pickup truck and a three-row SUV that could find there way to the U.S
Toyota said in Brussels that the models were aimed at the European market. Toyota officials would not confirm any hard plans for future BEVs for the U.S. and said the teaser photo speaks for itself.
Later this year, the automaker is set to launch an electric version of its Hilux pickup, sold in Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Latin America. That Hilux is priced to appeal to commercial-truck owners in European, Asian and Middle East cities with just 124 miles (200 km) of range. The teased BEV truck, though, appears to be a double-cab design with U.S. market appeal. It resembles the EPU Concept truck shown at the 2023 Tokyo Motor Show.
The EPU was pitched as a “lifestyle” vehicle and appropriate for commercial customers, a lighter-duty truck than the Tacoma, which is sold in North America.
Toyota also showed the Land Cruiser Se concept in Brussels, an EV version of the new Land Cruiser, launched this year in the U.S.
BEVs are more easily extended into the U.S. where Toyota has an large and flexible manufacturing footprint. The wildcard is how much tariffs and a possible elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs complicates demand.
“BEVs will become an ever-more accepted part of life,” says Yoshihiro Nakata, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe. “Now, without giving too much away, these next three parts (of Toyota’s EV strategy) will focus on enhancing the customer’s lifestyle just as powerfully as they enhance our carbon neutrality goals.”
BEV sales in the U.S. last year were split with SUVs, CUVs and pickups sharing 80% of the market, with 20% of sales going to sedans, per J.D. Power.
The Toyota pickup, which analysts expect to slot below the Tacoma, would compete most directly with the Ford Maverick.
When Ford launched the Maverick, a compact hybrid pickup, skeptics doubted its appeal in a market dominated by full-size trucks. Yet, its affordable price, impressive fuel economy (with an HEV option), and practical design struck a chord with urban drivers and budget-conscious buyers. Demand surged beyond expectations, forcing Ford to pause orders multiple times as supply struggled to keep up.
Traditional truck buyers and even sedan owners embraced the Maverick as a versatile, everyday vehicle. What started as a niche experiment quickly became one of Ford’s hottest-selling models, indicating that small trucks have a big future.
