Toyota's EV evolution: Three new models are coming to redefine the brand

USA Today

13 hours ago

Toyota's EV evolution: Three new models are coming to redefine the brand
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Self-driving tech coming to personally owned vehicles
Waymo & Toyota have announced a partnership to co-develop autonomous vehicle platforms, aiming to integrate Waymo's self-driving technology into Toyota's POV's.
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The vehicles are an overdue response to critics who said Toyota was hostile to electric vehicles.
3 new EVs are the Lexus ES, the Toyota bZ Woodland and the Toyota CH-R.
Toyota showcased the upcoming vehicles in May at its North American HQ in Plano, Texas.
Critics who believed Toyota would remain a perpetual EV laggard are about to be proven wrong.
The world's largest automaker was slow to begin its deployment of electric vehicles, but it's a legendarily fast follower. Toyota measures twice and cuts once, and the cutting just began.
Toyota and Lexus brands will make up for lost ground with three new EVs slated for sale in the United States this year and next ― Lexus ES, Toyota bZ Woodland and Toyota CH-R. That's on top of major upgrades to the pair it already sells here, the lackluster Toyota bZ4X, now badged the bZ, and Lexus RZ.
What took them so long
The vehicles are an overdue response to critics who said Toyota was hostile to electric vehicles. Company statements praising the hybrids it specialized in at the expense of EVs fostered that impression, even suggesting the two related and complementary technologies were somehow at odds.
They're not, and the spin toward hybrids understandably infuriated environmental groups who had been among Toyota's biggest supporters as the automaker popularized the fuel-saving technology in the early 2000s.
EV updates: Toyota's electric vehicle is about to get a major upgrade. Here's why it could use one
It was dizzying to hear the automaker that rode the Prius to global leadership cast as an environmental villain. The disappointing 2023 bZ4X, Toyota's first mass-produced EV, fueled arguments that Toyota only talked a good environmental game.
My recent drive of a 2026 bZ ― Toyota dropped the "4X" for model year 2026 ― proved Toyota took the criticism seriously, reworking its drivetrain and other systems with unusual haste.
Toyota's seldom the first with a new technology. Its reputation for quality and durability rests on continually refining proven systems, not being first to market.
It's unlikely Toyota's upcoming burst of EVs will break much new ground, but it'd be a shock if they don't work pretty much as advertised, first time and every time.
Toyota's not an early adopter. The millions of people who buy its vehicles don't want it to be.
Toyota's unprecedented EV rollout
Toyota showcased the upcoming vehicles in May at its North American HQ in Plano, Texas.
I drove the bZ there and expect to drive all of them, over the next few months. I'll report on them as it happens.
Prices for all the vehicles will be announced closer to when sales begin. All should come with Tesla-style NACS charging ports.
Until then, here's what we know by model:
2026 Toyota bZ
Renamed and vastly improved from its predecessor ― the 2022-25 bZ4X ― this compact SUV now has competitive range and power.
Key facts:
On sale this fall
Maximum range increases 25% to 314 miles
Power increase more than 50% to 338 hp
Faster
New lights and body-color exterior trim salvage what had been a cluttered appearance
2026 bZ Woodland
A midsize SUV developed alongside the nearly identical Subaru Trailseeker, the Woodland shares its architecture with the bZ, but is about is about 6 inches longer.
We can hope it doesn't share the Subie's cloying slogan: Powered by love.
Key facts:
On sale early 2026
Standard all-wheel drive
375 hp
Up to 260 miles range
8.3 inches of ground clearance
3,500-pound towing capacity
2026 Toyota CH-R
The sporty little 2026 CH-R revives the name of an oddly styled little SUV, but graces it with looks reminiscent of the bigger Toyota Crown Signia hybrid. A compact, expect it to fit between the bZ and Woodland. With its arrival, the Toyota brand will have entries in three key vehicle segments.
The new CH-R aims to be Toyota's first sporty EV, promising 0-60 mph in about 5 seconds.
Key facts:
On sale in 2026
338 hp
290-mile range
74.7 kWh battery
2026 Lexus RZ
Lexus' first EV, the midsize RZ, gets updates in line with the bZ. A bigger battery increases range, new motors boost power, and charging speed improves.
It will also be the first Lexus EV to have a model in the brand's performance sub-brand, F Sport. The RX 550e F Sport will reach 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
Key facts:
On sale this fall
Up to 402 hp
300-mile range
Bigger battery
'M Mode' mimics a manual transmission, via paddle shifters
More shade from glass roof
2026 Lexus ES
Lexus' popular midsize sedan gets the biggest changes in its history, moving to a new architecture that supports both EVs and hybrids. The car is longer, wider and taller than the current ES.
The sleek ES is by far the brand's best looking sedan ever, embodying the Lexus theme: 'Experience elegance and electrified sedan.'
The 2026 ES raises two immediate questions:
Will there be a plug-in hybrid?
Does the ES foreshadow an EV version of the next-generation Camry?
Key facts:
On sale in 2026
Front- and all-wheel drive
338 hp from ES 500e
Up to 300-mile range
0-60 mph 5.4 seconds
Contact Mark Phelan: [e-mail]. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.