Toyota confirms it will produce 7-seater electric SUV

Toyota has confirmed that it will manufacture a battery-powered SUV with three rows of seats, although its arrival in Europe is certain. The minivans died, but the seven-seater SUVs are experiencing a second youth accompanied by electric drives. Proof of this is the Kia EV9, the Volvo EX90, or the new Toyota model that the Japanese brand has just confirmed.

Toyota has announced today that it will build a new electric SUV with three rows of seats. This will result in a cabin with a capacity for 6 or 7 passengers, depending on the seating configuration, probably leaving the possibility to choose between both.

This new model, of which few details are yet known, will be part of a set of next-generation electric vehicles that will be built around three fundamental platforms or pillars: software, electronics, and chassis. 

This announcement follows one made by Toyota earlier last month, in which it brought forward its plans to launch ten new electric cars in all segments, from compact to commercial vehicles, by 2026.

This new electric SUV will rely on batteries for its propellant (it should be clarified since Toyota also continues to bet on fuel-cell electric vehicles) and will be manufactured in Kentucky (United States) from 2025. The US market is where they will be focused on this new model, whose dimensions will be closer to North American tastes than to the European standard. 

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The batteries will be supplied from North Carolina, a Toyota-owned factory that will become “Toyota’s hub for developing and producing the lithium-ion batteries needed for its expanding portfolio” of electric vehicles. The North Carolina factory will be operational in 2025 and will have six battery production lines, four dedicated to hybrid vehicles and two for pure electric. This will be the most modern factory of the Japanese company, while the one in Kentucky will be the largest. 

It should be noted that, currently, the only electric model of the brand (if we exclude vans) is the Toyota bZ4X, a crossover that is related to the Subaru Solterra, and the hydrogen Toyota Mirai. However, they already have a veritable barrage of electric cars ready for the next few years and by 2025 there will be an electrified option for every Toyota and Lexus model worldwide.

Lynda Reeder

I'm Lynda, I currently own Tesla. I write about electric cars. My aim is to provide information on how technology can improve the ownership experience of electric vehicles.

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