Toyota has revealed a new concept of an upcoming large electric SUV at the Japan Mobility Show. Badged FT-3e for now, it's a bigger and more luxurious model than the existing bZ4X with which it shares some visual cues and could become a potential Toyota-badged premium model.
AI design
Toyota says that the FT-3e's styling has been kept as simple and as unadorned as possible, and that it has even used AI technology in the design phase to try and stick as closely to that brief as it could. It's a taut, wedgy design with a neat glasshouse and it looks really rather handsome in a metallic green paint.
Those aren't gills nor grilles running up between the door and the wheelarch either - those are digital information screens which activate as you walk up to the car, and give you vital information on the state of battery charge, range, cabin heating and interior air quality.
Sports car chassis
Astonishingly, given that this is quite a hefty 4x4, this FT-3e sits on the same electric car platform as the low, sleek little two-seat Toyota FT-Se concept sports car that Toyota is also displaying at the show in Tokyo. This means that it gets a new battery design, one that's exceptionally slim compared to current battery packs, and which allows for both a lower, more sporty seating position and a lower centre of gravity.
It should allow for an exceptional range, too. As it gears up to start making next-generation solid-state batteries, Toyota has also been working on optimising current lithium-ion designs, and the FT-3e uses a 'Performance' battery pack that could allow for a one-charge range of as much as 800km, while still costing around 40 per cent less to make than existing batteries.
Massive interior
The FT-3e is not small - it's a whopping 5.3 metres long, with a 3.5-metre wheelbase, which ought to make for a massively spacious cabin. It will use Toyota's new Arene software, which has been designed, according to Toyota CEO Koji Sato: "to stay up to date with the latest software, and use vehicle data to speed up development that meets customer needs to provide more value that delights customers."
Sato also said: "The role of cars will be to connect to society and expand the possibilities. What you want will create a car that's just for you. That is the future with next-generation battery EVs and software-defined vehicles. Creating these electrified vehicles, and meeting the diversifying needs of customers around the world, requires multi-pathway approaches. Cars are essential to people's work and personal lives. This is true for many of our customers. Different people want to transport different things, and do different things with their cars. We intend to provide solutions for all these needs. We will deliver solutions with high-quality, affordable cars unique to Toyota."