Toyota has announced plans to launch three new electrified models in the United States this year. While it didn’t disclose the identity of the models, it said two of these would be fully-electric models and the other, a plug-in hybrid. According to Reuters, one of the new EVs will be a SUV.
This should likely be the C-segment SUV that will sit on the automaker’s e-TNGA platform, which was teased in December. Developed together with Subaru, the new electric vehicle architecture that was announced in 2019 will form the basis of many other electrified models down the line, including C- and D-segment sedans and SUVs.
Last December, Subaru also confirmed plans to debut a mid-size SUV similar in size to the current Forester, sometime in the first half of the decade.
The company said that the new offerings will expand its US market share in alternative powertrain vehicles, of which it has an over 40% share of, including a 75% slice of the fuel cell market and a 64% share of the hybrid and plug-in segment. The automaker said its goal was to have 40% of its new vehicle sales in the US to be made up of hybrids or EVs by 2025, with the figure rising to 70% by 2030.
According to Bob Carter, executive VP of sales for Toyota Motor North America, the new vehicles for the US market are the first of many. “Electrification is the future of this industry. There is no doubt about that. The only debate we have is that rate of change,” he said.
In 2019, Toyota outlined a plan to introduce at least 10 models globally from 2020 onwards in major markets that are pushing for BEVs, including China, the US and Europe, all sitting on variations of its modular platform. Lexus BEV models are also set to follow.
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