Toyota is going to come up with future vehicles that will discontinue using the combustion engine completely. The company has been at the forefront of hybrid technology and has now advanced a new platform, “e-TNGA” specifically for electric vehicles (EVs). The first model to be developed on this platform is a midsize SUV about which we will be discussing here.
This unnamed model is to be built in Japan at a factory meant for EVs only. The development of the model is done already, with the help of Subaru, while the production is getting ready for the start. As for now, Toyota says that the SUV will be sold in Europe. Nothing has been said about its availability in other Continents yet. It is expected that it will be a global model over time. However, in an interview, Toyota’s European product development boss, Andrea Carlucci has said to Autocar that it will be “very European in the DNA and design.”
The referred model will be followed by other e-TNGA products, for example, a compact crossover co-developed with Suzuki, a midsize crossover, a large SUV, a sedan, and a minivan. All these six models will have new names so as to be separated from the conventional models of Toyota.
According to Autocar, the midsize SUV will be revealed at some point in 2021. As per Toyota Europe’s sales and marketing chief, Matt Harrison it will be available for sale “in a couple of years”, as cited by Automotive News Europe.
Toyota says that it will publish the additional details in the following months. It is known that the e-TNGA platform has been set up for the front, rear, and all-wheel-drive setups and it supports a huge variety of battery packs and electric motors.
Andrea Carlucci assures that it will come up with the best balance between the needs of all global regions. Also, Subaru’s AWD expertise had been added in the development phase. This new Toyota electric SUV will aggregate the hybrid and plug-in hybrid RAV4 as part of an important electrification knock that also involves a second-generation Mirai and even a hybrid hypercar.
