Toyota Electric Cars

With the pandemic still looming over our heads, 2021 was a pretty action-packed year for the auto industry. Sure, you had challenges, with automakers having to contend with issues like chip shortages, causing delays to consumers. But regardless, the show had to go on and we got some pretty cool cars making their debut, predominantly towards the latter half of 2021.

Let’s get one thing out of the way, 2021 really was also the year, when the market as a whole began to embrace EV’s and you could see several automakers both the legacy as well as EV startups bring several new models to market. Having said that, we did see some pretty cool ICE cars, also make their debut. Now there were several cars that made headlines this year, it was very difficult to pick out the best ones, but the cars on this list definitely stood out. Here’s our list of some of the most highly anticipated and important cars that were unveiled in 2021.

Toyota recently announced an $18-billion investment towards electrification that showed the automaker’s commitment to the future. This even includes Lexus, which will be completely electrified by the end of this decade. A myriad of Toyota and Lexus concepts were also revealed – 16 to be precise – but there was one that caught our attention the most. This was the ‘Lexus Electrified Sport’, an electric supercar that could carry forward the legacy of the iconic LFA.

By now, everyone out there knows that Toyota has big plans for the future: going all electric by 2035 is the company’s main focus. In fact, we’ve already seen 16 new concept cars that preview this future: SUVs, trucks, sports car, sedans, will all go electric. One concept that caught our attention though is a yellow one that is supposed to preview the long rumored MR2 successor.

Nowadays, a lot of car manufacturers talk about going carbon neutral, and Toyota is one of the companies at the forefront of this endeavor. Toyota made it clear, by now, that the company is not really interested in developing sports cars by itself. The GR Supra and GR86, both of which, co-developed with other manufacturers, are proof enough. With that being said, Akio Toyoda himself announced 15 new Toyota and Lexus models, and it seems not all is lost for car enthusiasts.

Toyota has ambitious goals for an all-electric future. The Japanese automaker plans to considerably expand its electric vehicle lineup over the coming years.

Akio Toyoda, the brand’s President & CEO himself was at hand to give us a glimpse into what Toyota has in store for their next decade, which is set to be dominated by EVs. In a mega unveil for the brand’s future EV strategy, he gives us a first look at 16 distinctive concept vehicles that the brand has been working on.

Toyota might not be the company that’s most critical of combating climate change and was recently ranked as the third most resistant to climate change polices, but that doesn’t mean it’s not inching its way into electrification. The very first step in the brand’s transformation is the BZ4X, which was revealed as a concept earlier this year and is now scheduled to arrive at dealers in production form by mid-2022 as a 2023 model. Now, we’ve learned just what the production model will offer, and it’s not that bad at all.

Toyota revealed the BZ4X concept back in April of 2021, and now we’re getting our first look at the production model. Luckily, the production model looks a lot like the concept, all the way down to the aggressive body lines. When it hits the market in mid-2022, it’ll be offered with FWD or AWD and will serve as a stepping stone into the future. It’s the first of seven models planned over the next nine years, and this is what we know about it.

The Toyota bZ4x electric crossover concept made its global debut a couple of months back. Now the automaker has revealed it in the U.S. The bZ4x is roughly the size of the RAV4 and will be launched in the production form later this year. The company hasn’t revealed a whole lot of details about it yet, but did mention that it will come with an all-wheel-drive configuration, which means it could have a dual-motor setup. The all-electric crossover will go on sale from early 2022.

The truck segment is prepping for electrification at an unimaginable pace, courtesy of specialist EV companies like Tesla and Rivian. Mainstream car brands are also throwing their hats in the ring (like they have any other option!), and the latest one to do so is Toyota. The automaker confirmed that the company is planning to electrify its truck lineup. This is the first time the Japanese automaker has spoken about pickup truck electrification. There’s no word on which truck gets the ion shot first, but whichever it is, expect it to come sooner than expected.

Toyota has revealed the bZ4X electric crossover concept. Kicking off the new ‘Beyond Zero’ series for the Japanese automaker, this concept looks to be a spiritual successor to the RAV4. More than the product itself, this reveal was all about the bZ series of vehicles, a prefix that will be used on the company’s upcoming electric vehicles. The bZ4X is based on a BEV platform that Toyota has co-developed with Subaru, and it will feature an all-wheel-drive system.

A complete transition to EVs is inevitable whether we like it or not. When enthusiasts complain about moving to electric vehicles, it’s one thing; but when an automaker says the same, it isn’t exactly the right thing.

Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, recently said that electric vehicles are overhyped and could cost hundreds of billions of dollars to make the switch. This, coming from the CEO of a company that hasn’t been at the forefront of electrification sounds like a case of sour grapes, doesn’t it?

The 2020 Toyota Mirai Sedan Concept is a show car that previews the second-generation Mirai. Introduced in 2015, the Toyota Mirai was the first hydrogen production model offered in North America. The 2020 Mirai Sedan Concept shows a completely redesigned model on the outside, now featuring a sportier body with a four-door sedan layout. The production model will arrive in late 2020.

Although it’s labeled as a concept car, this vehicle gives us serious hints as to what to expect from the production-ready second-gen Mirai. That’s because the car you’ll find in dealerships will be almost identical. The big news besides the new exterior design and the more refined interior is the Premium RWD Platform that replaces the old architecture. And yes, this means that the second-gen Mirai will drop the FWD layout in favor of a sportier RWD setup. Toyota also promises a 30 percent increase in driving range and increased hydrogen capacity.

Back in 2017, Toyota brought a quirky concept vehicle called the “Concept-i” at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Now, an evolution of that same concept will debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. It goes by the “LQ Concept,” and, among other nifty tricks, the LQ Concept is largely defined by a personal assistant called ‘Yui’, which, according to Toyota, is meant to “learn from the driver and deliver a personalized mobility experience.”

In other words, the LQ Concept wants to be your friend, an unnerving thought given where these things could end up. Perceived concerns aside, the LQ Concept is a good example of Toyota’s eye towards a future where a connection between the driver and the car is of paramount importance. We’re going to learn more about the LQ Concept in Tokyo, but, for now, chalk this one up to another concept whose purpose remains years ahead of its time.

Every morning when I get to work, I wind my way up to the roof of a six-story parking garage. And every evening, I wind my way back down. It’s a good half-mile round trip at plodding speeds. In a normal car, I watch the trip computer’s fuel economy readout tick down as I circle round and round through the garage. But in the 2019 Toyota Prius, I can go all of the way down and even most of the way up using purely electric power — burning no gas at all.

That’s the beauty of a well-executed hybrid: It often uses the least gas in circumstances where normal cars would use the most: Bumper-to-bumper traffic, neighborhoods with a four-way stop at every corner, or crowded parking lots. As long as you keep a gentle touch on the throttle — and in these conditions, there’s no reason not to — you can watch your mileage rise rather than fall. And this isn’t a plug-in hybrid that costs more and requires charging infrastructure; the Prius’s battery recharges as you drive normally, capturing energy from the gasoline engine and braking friction.

To be sure, the Prius hatchback is hardly the only hybrid on the market on which such technology achieves similar results. The Hyundai Ioniq hatchback, Kia Niro wagon/crossover, and the Honda Insight sedan are all newer designs than the current Prius, which dates back to 2016. There’s even an all-new 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which puts the Prius mechanicals in the body of a brand-new sedan. All these models rival or even beat the Prius’s EPA fuel economy ratings, and they all cost a little less; the 2019 Prius starts at $24,725. But the Prius still has the best blend of real-world utility and efficiency. It’s impressively spacious, and it’s more willing to putter around with its gasoline engine shut off than the Honda, Hyundai or Kia are.

Toyota has added another unique strength for 2019: a class-exclusive all-wheel-drive system, which is optional equipment on certain Prius trim levels. The car’s controversial exterior design also got a makeover this year, though its equally contentious interior design (and aging infotainment system) did not. Nor did it get a horsepower boost to address complaints about leisurely acceleration. Let’s go through the full rundown on how the iconic hybrid fares in today’s marketplace.

The Toyota MR2 was a legendary mid-engined compact sports car that instantly developed a cult following thanks to its impeccable design, mid-engined layout, and overall driving dynamics. Auto enthusiasts everywhere shed a tear when Toyota discontinued the compact sports car back in 2007 after three generations and 23 years on the market. As was the case with the Toyota Supra, old-school fanboys have been scratching at the door begging Toyota to bring back the MR2. It worked for the Supra, it worked for the 86, but can it work for the MR2 as well?

When the 2020 Toyota Supra launched, Tetsuya Tada made it clear that he wanted the “three brothers” back in the Toyota family once again. We have two, and we’re waiting on a third; the MR2, of course. Much like the Toyota 86 (twined with the Subaru BRZ) and the Toyota Supra (twined with the BMW Z4), Toyota can’t justify building another sports car on its own. The Japanese brand needs to branch out and partner up yet again. Tada has someone very unlikely in mind.

The introduction of the Toyota Corolla GR Sport days before its live debut at the Geneva International Motor Show gives us a first glimpse of what the hypothetical (and probable) Corolla GRMN might be.

The Toyota Corolla GR Sport is the closest in execution to semi-sports hatches like the Ford Focus ST-Line, the Hyundai i30 N-Line, and the Renault Megane GT-Line. As such, the Toyota Corolla GR Sport features a comprehensive set of sporty style additions without any performance upgrades. The Gazoo Racing Sport pack is available for both the base engine and top-trim.

The first semi-hot Toyota hatchback in decades came only weeks after Gazoo Racing trickled out the stunning new Supra. It delivers on the promise Aikido Toyoda, Toyota CEO, gave two years ago - “no more boring cars.” Moreover, with the new Toyota RAV4 TRD, the new Toyota GR Supra, the incredible Toyota Yaris GR, and the announcement of the new Toyota GT86, we live in a time when the world’s favorite manufacturer is again in the business of awesome cars.

With almost 50 million units sold since it was first introduced in 1966, the Toyota Corolla is, without question, the best-selling car in the history of the auto industry. Even if the world is populated by Corollas, Toyota has found a way to continuously reinvent the model in ways that make it popular. It comes as no surprise then that we’re going to see another reinvented version of the Corolla called the Corolla Trek at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Touring Sports wagon body of Toyota’s best-selling model, the Corolla Trek is essentially a raised version of the wagon that’s not a lot different from the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. The recent trend of automakers raising their wagons and hatchbacks in the name of giving them crossover-like appeal has now taken over Toyota. We’ll see what that’s about when the Toyota Corolla debuts in Geneva next month.

What does the future behold? There are countless future classics ready to slide out from under the sheets of which they’ve been covered, and it’s all set to happen in 2019. There will be new EVs, new muscle cars, and a complete evolution of luxury cars. One of America’s most loved sports cars, the Chevy Corvette, is set move into a mid-engine configuration - something that’s been in the works for decades. With that said, we have a lot to be excited for, and this is a list of the models that we just can’t wait any longer for.

You expect such insanity from Magneto, Joker, Doctor Doom, or Lex Luthor. They may be fictional characters, but here’s one crazy dude who came up with an idea to turn an environment-friendly Toyota Prius into a pee-when-you-see, one-car cavalry. Civilian cars have been made into dogs of war before, but this time, Black Rifle Coffee Company, a coffee producer, has incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon on a humble Toyota Prius, and the result is blowing our mind!

The original Toyota MR2 was a fantastic little Japanese sport compact, offering crisp mid-engine, RWD handling for a fraction of the cost of some European exotic. Unfortunately, Toyota axed the MR2 in 2007, and since then, enthusiasts have been left out in the cold. Now, however, it’s looking like the Mister Two might be heading for a resurgence, all thanks to EV tech.