Toyota to have 15 EV models by the end of 2027

Toyota Motor will triple its electric vehicle lineup from 5 to 15 models in the next two years and produce a million EVs annually in 2027, according to a Nikkei Asia report.

The million-unit production number targeted by the world’s No.1 automaker will be a seven-fold increase compared to 2024, when Toyota sold about 140,000 electric vehicles in total.

Currently, Toyota manufactures its EVs in Japan and China, but the company intends to expand its EV production capacity to include Thailand, Argentina and USA. Nikkei Asia reported that these newly-added assembly lines in Southeast Asia, South America and North America will also help Toyota to hedge against the risks of foreign exchange and punitive tariffs, and deliver brand-new EVs to local buyers more quickly.

Toyota's EV expansion roadmap includes the new C-HR+, updated bZ4X and upcoming Urban Cruiser.

The expanded lineup of Toyota electric vehicles will include a battery-electric version of the popular Hilux pickup (which will be built in Thailand and Argentina), the latest C-HR+ compact crossover, a new SUV co-developed with and produced by off-road specialist Subaru, and a next-generation Lexus EV making its debut in 2027. 

Next year, Toyota USA will start making three-row American SUVs in its Kentucky and Indiana factories, with batteries sourced from a new facility in North Carolina. 

In the cut-throat China market, Toyota is said to be focusing on low-cost electric cars such as the bZ3X, but it has created a new subsidiary, Lexus (Shanghai) New Energy, to design and build EVs including their batteries in the Chinese city from 2027, with an initial annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles. This will be Toyota’s first fully-owned factory in the world’s largest car market. 

The relatively-cheap Toyota bZ3X subcompact SUV is a joint venture with China’s state-owned GAC and won’t be sold overseas, although the mechanically-similar Aion V is an export model available in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (where GAC Aion has an assembly plant, in Rayong industrial estate). 

The Nikkei Asia story cited GlobalData’s prediction that worldwide sales of EVs will exceed 31 million units in 2030 and make up more than 30 percent of all new-car sales. 

Toyota's bZ ("beyond Zero") model range will grow to offer greater product variety.

Read More: mReview: Lexus RZ450e – In The Relaxation Zone

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