Will Toyota's Carbon-Neutral Future Include Performance Vehicles?
Toyota unveils its battery-electric strategy by unveiling 15 new concepts. What does it mean for the brand’s performance models?
With Toyota's advent towards electrification, the future of the company's sports cars seems uncertain. However, we have some good news
During the unveiling of the company's carbon-neutral strategy, 15 new concepts were introduced, including performance models
Toyota's concepts suggest that the future will not be so boring
Toyota introduced a wide variety of concepts, spanning across all segments. Some of them are based on existing models, while others are entirely new and utilize the e-TNGA platform
Akio Toyoda, himself, introduced the futuristic lineup
The lineup is separated in to 2 categories: carbon-reducing vehicles" and "carbon-neutral vehicles", which also include fuel-cell electric vehicles
The Lexus lineup was mostly hiden, but revealed some interesting designs, including a successor to an iconic model
We are, of course, talking about the Lexus LFA's successor (at the front). It is expectede to be a fully-electric, high-performance coupe
The Lexus Sports Battery EV clearly harkens back to the Lexus LFA
Mr. Toyoda mentioned it has "secret sauce", from the LFA's development. In addition, it promises 435 miels of range and 0-62 mph in the low-2 seconds
Toyota's lineup also suggests the return of another iconic name
Fans of the MR-2 will rejoice, as this compact sports car concept features mid-engine proportions. This resonates with the rumors that Toyota is co-developing the next-gen MR-2. This finaly gives us a glimpse of what it could look like
Toyota is not turning away from performance vehicles
While the brand's current performance models do not feature any form of electrification and may not transition into the carbon-neutral future, Toyota and Lexus will not turn away from performance
Retro-futurism will live on
The 2 performance models were not the only interesting vehicles we saw. This rugged SUEV is clearly inspired by the Toyota FJ Cruiser, which in turn, is reminiscent of the original Land Cruiser FJ40
A Tacoma-inspired pick-up truck tha features electrification
This is proof that Toyota will eventually give us a hybrid or fully electric, mid-size pick-up truck. The 2022 Tundra already offers a hybrid powertrain and the same is expected from the upcoming Land Cruiser
A 3-row, large SUV with electrification is also on the way
The BZ Large SUV, as its named is another future Toyota model. It's also a good indication of what awaits the Land Cruiser family. Since the plate says SUV instead of SUEV, we expect this one to feature a hybrid powertrain
Toyota and Lexus plan to cover all segments
This is probably the biggest electric-vehicle expansion, in recent times. By 2030, the company aims for 30 different models in the lineup and 3.5 million global sales. The models range from a sub-compact crossover to full-size SUVs and sedans
Swipe up for more details on Toyota and Lexus' future plans
We established that, despite the strife for carbon neutrality, Toyota will still give us exciting models. And while LFA's successor will be the one to lust after, it's the MR-2 successor that could steal the show. Also, be sure to check out the gallery