The Toyota Prius shook up the car world 25 years ago, basically paving the way for the hybrid movement. Since then, Toyota has been a top contender in the hybrid market, with hits like the RAV4 and Corolla. Now, the trusted Japanese carmaker is venturing into the full-electric space, hoping to achieve the same success. But it may be a tough challenge they’re not ready for.
Over the past few months, Toyota has been introducing its all-electric lineup, which seems to be attempting to stand out against the competition. I’m just not sure it fully delivers in that department.
“As we’ve seen demand for EVs continue to grow, we’ve continued to grow our portfolio as well,” said Toyota marketing manager Tim Rippinger to ABC 7.
Toyota’s electric SUVs are not too memorable, but maybe they don’t have to be
First, Toyota announced the return of the C-HR, previously a gasoline-powered subcompact crossover SUV and now an all-electric entry-level SUV it kept describing as “sporty.” Toyota kept talking about its “athletic stance” and “dynamic” driving experience, but let’s be honest: it’s just a basic electric SUV.
Then, it revealed the bz Woodland, a slightly larger variation of the bZ featuring more ground clearance and all-terrain tires. And yeah, it can go off-roading as promised, but it’ll probably be at the bottom of your list of SUVs you want to take on your next camping trip.
Finally, after a few social media teasers, Toyota shared the three-row all-electric Highlander. It’s a name that people know and love (many people shared stories of their long-lasting Highlander from the 2000s), but the all-electric version is sorta just that same vehicle but with a battery and a typical EV-inspired exterior.
Said Rippinger: “Twenty-five years of history: The first three-row mid-size SUV for Toyota, the first hybrid SUV for Toyota. Now, this is the next chapter. It’s the first three-row EV from Toyota.” So it’s a first for Toyota, but not a first for the EV market.
Toyota’s all-electric lineup is fine and good. I don’t think you’d be able to find anything glaringly wrong with any of the three. But can you find anything special about them? You have a basic electric SUV that Toyota is trying to sell as sporty, a basic electric SUV that Toyota is trying to sell as off-road ready, and a basic electric SUV that Toyota is trying to market as the next stage of the Highlander’s evolution — all varying in size.
The oversaturated EV market is already full of basic electric SUVs. All three of Toyota’s recent reveals have tough competitors that are already established in the space. The subcompact SUV space has the Nissan Leaf and Volvo EX30. The midsize SUV space has the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Subaru Solterra EV. The three-row SUV space has the Kia EV9, Lucid Gravy, and Tesla Model Y. I feel you’d be hard-pressed to tell me something Toyota’s models have that these competitors don’t. Maybe the pricing in some instances.
I would argue that Toyota’s hybrid models have done exceptionally well because they were well-estaliblished and trusted ahead of the competition, not because they are truly that much better. The Toyota brand is known for reliability, which could give the all-electric lineup a bit of an edge. But they are not longstanding electric SUVs with proven decades of trusty commuting. While I still think they will do alright — they’re still Toyotas — I think the brand does best when it can actually set itself apart.
Let’s just hope its upcoming mid-engine sports car ends up happening, because that engine is something nobody else is doing. I’ve seen plenty of boring electric SUVs that claim to be special or distinctive. But good luck finding these vehicles in the Target parking lot as the sun starts to set.
