Toyota says it’s going all-in on battery electric cars with four new battery models, but is it too late?

• Toyota will have four new EV models on sale in the US by 2027
• The company has previously been outspoken on the topic of pure EVs
• Toyota's North American VP wants "fair share" of US electric vehicle market

Toyota has just revealed plans for four new pure electric cars – and they're part of a US push that's something of a gear-shift from the car giant's previous comments about EVs.

Toyota’s chairman, Akio Toyoda, has been vocal in the past about battery electric vehicles. He claimed back in 2024 that the electric car segment will only ever account for a maximum of 30% of the market, adding that he thought "customers, not regulations or politics" should make the decision on what path to rely on, according to a report by Forbes at the time.

As a result, the company continued to offer a multi-pronged strategy to reduce its overall emissions that included a heavy focus on plug-in hybrid, self-charging hybrid and even hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Up until this point, it has been relatively slow to offer a line-up that includes multiple pure battery electric options, with the bZ4x and a handful of battery-powered commercial vehicles flying the flag for battery packs and electric motors.

However, the Japanese company has just unveiled plans for several new pure electric models that it hopes will help it gain a competitive advantage in the US, where the current government is creating an increasingly uncertain market by removing tax credits and even reversing landmark decisions around greenhouse gases.

The upcoming Highlander will offer seven seats and premium surroundings at a time where Tesla announced it was discontinuing its large Model X. Similarly, Toyota has already started taking deposits for the smaller bZ SUV, the all-electric mid-sized CH-R and a more rugged, estate-like bZ Woodland model.

These four dedicated battery electric vehicles will join a deeper line-up of hybrid EV and plug-in hybrid options that span everything from minivans and trucks to popular crossovers and SUVs.

David Christ, Toyota Motor North America’s vice president, told Automotive News that the company recognizes that sales are down after “the federal incentives went away”. But the company feels that it deserves its fair share of the EV market that’s there. “These four cars will help us do that,” Christ said.

Too late for Toyota?

This new approach from Toyota is not just aimed at making waves in the US market, where the new bZ was among the top-selling EVs in the US last month, outpacing the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV9 and Honda Prologue, according to Electrek.

Europe has also experienced a swathe of new electric models arriving, including the new Urban Cruiser compact SUV, which starts at just £28,495 (around $39,000 / AU$55,000), as well as the aforementioned C-HR+ and updated bZ4x. There are also a handful of commercial vehicles and a version of the bZ Woodland model, which is called the bZ4x Touring in the UK.

This newfound commitment to electric vehicles might not bring with it headline-grabbing range figures or ultra-fast charging speeds, but it does add Toyota’s long-held reputation for quality and reliability to the the wider EV market.

It also comes at a time when new Chinese brands are coming online seemingly every month. For those not willing to take the risk on a newcomer, Toyota represents a safe pair of hands.

This, and highly competitive pricing, could well make Akio Toyoda’s remarks feel a little foolish, especially given that some European countries have already witnessed EVs take much more than 30% of the overall market, with Norway on track for 100% zero-emission new car sales in the coming years.

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