Toyota has dropped a sneaky teaser among a flurry of electric vehicle (EV) announcements today, confirming it will launch an electric ute and an electric LandCruiser by 2026.
The battery-powered dual-cab’s silhouette can be seen in a teaser showing the six EVs the brand will launch by 2026, flanked by an SUV and what’s almost certainly a production version of the LandCruiser SE concept from 2023.
The ute could potentially be a production version of the EPU concept, also revealed at the 2023 Tokyo motor show.
Toyota Australia’s local vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley, has previously confirmed the brand wants to sell these vehicles here.
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“If these cars come into production I can assure you Australia, particularly on LandCruiser, would be the first one to put our hands up,” he told Australian media at the 2023 Tokyo motor show.
Both the EPU and LandCruiser SE concepts feature a unibody platform and electric power, unlike existing vehicles like the HiLux and LandCruiser 300 Series which are body-on-frame and offer diesel engines.
That indicates these vehicles may not be able to match these combustion models in outright capability, though Toyota says the LandCruiser Se concept offers “confidence in tackling rough terrain”.
The EPU ute concept measures 5070mm long, 1910mm wide and 1710mm tall, making it almost identical dimensionally to other unibody ‘lifestyle’ utes like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – albeit with a much longer 3350mm wheelbase.
2023 EPU concept
Inside, there’s a steering yoke and an unusual, shelf-like dashboard, with the digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen in one assembly.
There’s also a short centre console, allowing you to pass from one side of the interior to the other, while there appears to be a large pass-through port from the tub allowing you to carry longer items.
The production version of the EPU will be yet another alternative to the HiLux, with the rugged, body-on-frame HiLux Champ having been developed for emerging markets and a unibody, hybrid-powered ute rumoured to be in the works for Latin America.
LandCruiser SE concept
The LandCruiser Se concept, in contrast, previews a flagship electric SUV for the Toyota lineup.
The large, three-row SUV concept measures 5150mm long, 1990mm wide, 1705mm tall and riding a 3050mm wheelbase.
That makes it longer than a LandCruiser 300 Series, which tops out at 5015mm, due to its 200mm longer wheelbase.
It’s also 245mm lower, but roughly the same width, and therefore presents vastly different proportions to any other LandCruiser-badged model.
It’s the latest example of Toyota extending a classic nameplate to an unlikely vehicle, after the Crown name was shared with higher-riding models like the Crown Crossover and the Century name was applied to an SUV.
While Toyota has reiterated its goal to offer six EVs in Europe by 2026, Toyota Australia had previously pledged to have three on sale here in the same timeframe.
However, it hasn’t clarified which models will join the existing bZ4X, though CarExpert understands the C-HR+ small SUV revealed today will eventually be offered here.
