Toyota Motor Europe (TME) recently organized the Kenshiki 2023 forum in Brussels (Belgium), headquarters of its European headquarters, a global event in which the Japanese brand showcased the company's latest technologies and electrified products. In Japanese, Kenshiki means knowledge, and this year's edition, with the participation of more than 300 media, has focused on battery-electric and hydrogen-based vehicles, which will play a crucial role in the brand's multifaceted strategy to the next years.
Toyota's "Mobility for All" principle and its commitment to achieving full carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040, and globally by 2050, guides how the company approaches new product development. To achieve this, Toyota has opted to design mobility solutions with reduced or zero emissions to meet specific regional needs; products that meet demand or are relevant to your local infrastructure, while remaining accessible, so that no one is left out of the journey to carbon neutrality. And the first examples of this will be six new electric models that will arrive before 2026.
Among these new “protagonists” of the clean mobility advocated by Toyota, several prototypes stand out that will lead the new generation of battery electric vehicles from the Lexus and Toyota brands. Common features of these concept cars include a new modular design architecture, which combines a Gigacast chassis, miniaturized components and the new Arene operating system, which offers greater design freedom to enhance the overall user experience.
These future battery electric vehicles that will appear on European roads in the coming years include the Lexus LF-ZC, Toyota FT-Se and Toyota FT-3e. But there are two, in particular, that are in a more advanced phase of development and whose appearance is more similar to the final version of the production model, still without an assigned commercial name: the sports crossover prototype, or Sports Crossover Concept, and the urban SUV prototype, the Urban SUV Concept.
This new model unveiled at Toyota's annual Kenshiki forum will be the most compact and affordable of a planned range of six battery-electric models. It will compete in the B SUV segment, which Toyota predicts will be one of the main markets for BEVs in Europe.
Leveraging the experience and prominent position in the B SUV segment with the Yaris Cross hybrid - the best-selling model in its category - Toyota has developed an emissions-free model that has built-in versatility, with a fully flexible interior and a bold SUV style.
This model, which will be presented during the first half of 2024 and whose marketing will take place in that same year, is distinguished by a compact body planted on a firm base to offer a high driving position. At the moment, the known specifications in terms of size - throughout 2024 Toyota will announce more details of the production model - are a length of 4.30 meters, a width of 1.82 m and a height of 1.62 m.
There will be two versions available, with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive; the latter as a representation of Toyota's product DNA. Likewise, the final production model will offer a dual battery strategy: customers will be able to choose between two options with different capacities depending on whether they prefer it to have more autonomy or be more affordable.
Presented for the first time in Europe, it previews the new battery electric model that will join Toyota's electrified range in 2025. The brand claims that it will become a design icon among the company's BEV –Battery Electric Vehicle– offer thanks to to its elegant aerodynamic silhouette and unmistakable fastback-style silhouette, to generous interior space and top-level comfort.
It is designed with customers in mind who wish to purchase an electric vehicle for the first time and as a stylish alternative to SUVs. It will provide high comfort and versatility along with a high degree of functionality thanks to its five doors, large trunk and a spacious cabin with ample rear legroom.
