It was the last days of 2021 when Akio Toyoda, former CEO of Toyota, presented a whole wave of electrical products in society. The Japanese brand has been accused of being conservative and excessively slow in its electrification strategy. With impressive growth potential, the coming years are especially lively with a flurry of new products. During a shareholders meeting, Toyota confirmed that its launch schedule will intensify soon. The year 2026 appears especially relevant thanks to the arrival of several outstanding models.
After a change in the leadership of the corporation, now under the command of Koji Sato, Toyota redirects its efforts to expand the family of electric cars, although that does not mean that the Japanese lose sight of other systems such as hydrogen or hybrids themselves. With several open fronts, Sato has to recover from a path that has not started on the right foot that everyone expected. The Toyota bZ4X is the company’s first global electric aimed at the volume market. After a series of mechanical misfortunes, the SUV is not having the good reception that everyone expected.
The bZ4X will be updated shortly to improve its range figures, although the company is already looking to the future. It is not the first time we have heard something similar about it. During the last months, as a measure to compensate for the negative reviews of its first electric company, the Japanese corporation has been advancing details of the numerous projects that it has opened to improve the electricity supply. Now we know when those units will hit the market, especially one of them.
At Toyota, they know that electrification is necessary not only to increase their sales but also to improve their reputation. Nothing better than a sports car to surprise the world and show that when they put their batteries -never better said- no one can beat them. As the filtered and projected slide shows during the last shareholders’ meeting, in 2026 we will see the launch of a sports electric model. There are still many doubts about which unit it will be since the Japanese have several open fronts in that category.
There are two possible options. The first is the return of the fantastic Toyota MR2. It was one of the prototypes presented by Toyoda at the end of 2021. Like the original model, the electric MR2 will take advantage of its small size to increase sensations. The development would be carried out by the Gazoo Racing division and among its rivals will be illustrious names such as the Porsche Cayman EV. The other alternative is a larger scale as we enter the grounds of the legendary Toyota Supra. The current model has covered an emotional void that is not a commercial one. Sales are testimonial and although many have questioned its future, Toyota may not abandon it.
Earlier this year the first rumors of the return of the Supra began to spread. With a format that will not convince most purists, the legendary sports car will be offered to the public in a 100% electric high-performance format. Unlike the current model, Toyota will be exclusively in charge of development and although everyone assumed that it would arrive in 2025, the slide predicts that it will be a year later. This change does not have to contradict itself since the sports car can be presented in 2025, but not marketed until 2026.
Along with it will land more mundane and potentially marketable models. As we can see in the slide, Lexus will add two sedan units, one in a family format. The largest electric SUVs in the BZ family with three rows of seats will also arrive. A reasonably priced compact for emerging markets, the expected EV version of the Toyota Hilux, and more models that Toyota has not wanted to reveal for now. The Japanese will attack all fronts in the market to show that they, too, are riding the electric wave.
