Toyota, having been seen as something of a laggard in the electric car race, has shown off an unexpectedly vast line-up of new electric concepts at an event in Tokyo.
Even an electric supercar
15 cars have been shown off - ranging from a compact crossover to a supercar to replace the Lexus LF-A - and Toyota is promising that, between it and Lexus, it will launch 30 new all-battery models between now and 2030.
"We are living in a diversified world and in an era in which it is hard to predict the future," said Toyoda, showing off the cars. "Therefore, it is difficult to make everyone happy with a one-size-fits-all option. That is why Toyota wants to prepare as many options as possible for our customers around the world. We believe that all electrified vehicles can be divided into two categories, depending on the energy that they use. One category is that of "carbon-reducing vehicles". If the energy that powers vehicles is not clean, the use of an electrified vehicle, no matter what type it might be, would not result in zero CO2 emissions. The other category is that of "carbon-neutral vehicles". Vehicles in this category run on clean energy and achieve zero CO2 emissions in the whole process of their use. We at Toyota will do our utmost to realise such vehicles. Today, we would like to present to you what we have been preparing for the future."
As part of the new line-up, Toyoda has confirmed that his company's zero-emissions sales target for 2030 has expanded from two million vehicles to 3.5 million, some of which will be hydrogen fuel cell models.
Investment in battery tech
There will also be a massive ramp-up in spending on battery development - from a previous budget of €3.5 billion, Toyota is now promising to spend €13.5 billion. The two companies - Toyota and Lexus - aim to achieve total carbon neutrality by 2035, but Toyoda also claimed that there are plans for 'carbon-reducing' vehicles, which use carbon-negative power sources. Toyota is also thought to be ahead of most other carmakers when it comes to the development of more efficient 'solid-state' batteries.
Of the 15-car line-up, the most eye-catching models are a retro-look FJ Land Cruiser update, a Hilux pickup replacement, and a pair of micro-sized urban runabouts, one a passenger car, the other a dinky delivery van. Well, those are the most striking aside from the two supercars... Down the back of the line-up, there's an intriguing sports car, that strikes a mid-engined pose, and may be a hint at a future Supra.
The Lexus sports car is actually possibly more of a supercar. It has a front-engined style (are such things redundant in an electric age?) and Toyoda spoke of potentially remarkable performance - such as a 0-100km/h acceleration time of around 2 seconds, and a 700km one-charge range.
Other models in the line-up include five and seven-seat SUVs, and a possible future all-electric Corolla replacement, and a Camry-sized four-door saloon. Toyoda also boasted that even the large SUV models can hit electric consumption efficiency of as much as 125-watt-hours per km, which equates to 12.5kWh/100km - far superior to any large family EV currently on sale (which tend to average closer to around 16-18kWh/100km).
Toyoda also promised: "Battery EV options to existing vehicle models but [we] will also offer a full line-up of reasonably priced mass-production models, such as the bZ series, to meet the needs of all kinds of customers. By doing so, we hope to deliver to customers around the world the unique and beautiful styling as well as fun-to-drive aspects of battery EVs, and the experience of a life with battery EVs."
'For the next generation'
"The future that we showed you today is by no means far away. Most of the Toyota battery EVs that we introduced here are models that will be coming out in the next few years We aim to achieve global sales of 3.5-million battery EVs per year by 2030. Lexus aims to realise a full line-up of battery EVs in all vehicle segments by 2030 and to have battery EVs account for 100 percent of its vehicle sales in Europe, North America, and China" said Toyoda. "We at Toyota aim to be a company that contributes to the global environment, seeks to bring happiness to people, acts, and stays close to its customers. To sum it up, we want to become a company that produces happiness for all, for both individuals and society. We want to pass on an ever-better future for the children of today and those who will come after them. We always want the future to be brighter. I believe that the future is something to be created by all of us together Japan's automotive industry is home to our 5.5-million colleagues who have supported Japanese manufacturing and mobility. And we have many more colleagues throughout the world. If we all take action with unity of mind and with will and passion, we will be able to leave behind many smiling faces and a beautiful Earth for the next generation."