Toyota will use the Shanghai auto show next month to unveil a near-production concept of a full-electric utility vehicle that will compete against battery-powered models such as the Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID4.
The EV is similar in size to the company's RAV4 crossver.
The vehicle is based on the automaker's new electric-only e-TNGA platform, which the automaker is developing to underpin battery-electric cars for major markets such as China, the U.S. and Europe.
The platform is flexible enough to accommodate body styles including an utility vehicle with three rows of seating, a sporty sedan, a small crossover or a compact car. It can support rear-wheel-, front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive layouts and differing battery sizes ranging from 50 kilowatt hours to 100 kWh.
The utiltiy vehicle will be sold in Europe, the U.S. and China, a Toyota spokesman told Automotive News Europe. The company gave no date for the sales launch but it is expected to reach showrooms next year.
It will be built at Toyota’s so-called ZEV Factory in Japan.
The EV was developed with Subaru, which will launch its version "within the next five years," Subaru said in December.
The e-TGNA platform will eventually be used for six models sold under the Toyota and Lexus brands.
Toyota has been slower to embrace EVs, previously preferring to expand its hybrid lineup. The company's first EV for Europe, the Lexus UX300e, went on sale last year. Toyota will begin selling two full-electric vans in Europe in 2021 as part of a deal with Stellantis, which will build the two models alongside Peugeot, Citroen and Opel/Vauxhall versions.
Automakers are planning more EVs as the industry shifts to electric power amid stricter emissions regulations to curb CO2 emissions. This year VW is rolling out the ID4, its first battery-powered SUV, in Europe, the U.S. and China.
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