TOYOTA

Toyota was a pioneer in entering the 100% electric market, but is far behind Tesla

Toyota is a world leader, it is the second brand in Europe and in Portugal it is selling more than ever. It was the first to embrace electrification, but is one of the last to go 100% electric.

But the question that seems to be on everyone's mind is Toyota's alleged delay in 100% electric vehicles. After all, until the end of last year there were only two models for sale on the European market: the Toyota bZ4X and the Lexus RZ 450e.

We reinforce the “supposed delay”. Because in reality this “delay” is not a strategic error — as many have accused Toyota of — but a deliberate strategy. Toyota wanted to wait for the time it considered right.

And it seems that time is…now. This year alone, Toyota has already shown two new electric vehicles: the Urban Cruiser and the C-HR+ (follow the link below). By the end of 2026, there should be 14 electric vehicles distributed between Toyota and Lexus.

Does hydrogen have a future?...The investment in battery-powered electric vehicles is just one part of Toyota's plan to decarbonize, because as the automaker has said — so many times —, the enemy is carbon.

Toyota is developing to fulfill this mission. And these involve investing many millions in hydrogen and also in the “old” combustion engine.

Many people question the future of hydrogen, but Toyota has a history of being “contrarian”… and getting it right. When everyone was saying that they should bet on Diesel, Toyota appeared with the first hybrid, the Prius. Now that everyone is saying battery electric is the future, Toyota responds with hydrogen. And the petrolheads were not forgotten. There is room for them in the Toyotas of the future.

But now we need to know which cars this engine will power and the possibilities are juicy: the most obvious candidate is the new Celica, a model that has already been confirmed.

Toyota unveiled the New C-HR+ in Brussels, Belgium, the first of six new electric cars it will launch in Europe by 2026. Until now, focused almost exclusively on hybrid cars, Toyota is expanding its range towards electric cars so as not to lose market share in Europe until the end of this decade. 

Despite the arrival of new battery-electric cars, Toyota does not intend to stop investing in hybrid cars and even in the difficult proposition of hydrogen-powered vehicles, which have seen a huge drop in the United States. The Toyota Mirai has registered only 27,500 units in 10 years. 

Lexus – Toyota's premium brand – will launch three new battery-electric vehicles by 2025, including the new Lexus RZ with steer-by-wire technology. See the photo gallery of the New CH-R+ below. The new battery-electric Toyota C-HR+ will be a central model in the Japanese automaker's electric SUV offensive, which is far behind in this segment, compared to European and especially Chinese manufacturers. 

The New C-HR+ uses the e-TNGA BEV platform. Toyota has said it has tweaked the suspension and steering to deliver superior handling – a dig at Chinese cars, which aren’t very good at this.

The Toyota C-HR+ will be available in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive (AWD) versions, with 57.7 and 77 kWh batteries. The top-of-the-line version will have 252 kW of power (343 hp) and will be able to go from 0 to 100 km/h in a very good 5.2 seconds.

The first of Toyota’s six new electric cars will arrive in some European markets at the end of 2025 to compete with mid-size electric SUVs (C category, like the Corolla Cross).

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