Toyota is abandoning its previously aggressive EV plans, and I’m actually sorta bummed.<\/p>\n
I know I come off as a bit of an EV hater, but I swear it’s really just Tesla. I’m kidding, but I don’t hate EVs. There are some cars that should be left alone \u2014 Lotus is a track-focused sports car brand meant to deliver engaging, visceral rides, and it shouldn’t be electric<\/a>. Lamborghini is a luxury supercar brand known for its screaming, high-revving engines, and it shouldn’t be electric<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let’s stop pushing EVs into\u00a0everything<\/em>. That’s my issue. But commuter cars? Sure, why not? They’re already boring anyway. Why not make them more efficient and offer a smoother ride? It’s not like being gas-powered provides any sort of experience in a Toyota Corolla. You’ll live.<\/p>\n For that reason, I was a bit bummed to hear that Toyota has scrapped the Lexus FL-ZC, it’s next-generation electric vehicle.<\/p>\n Toyota has (or had) a lofty goal of reaching 1 million EVs by 2030. It would sell only <\/em>EVs by 2035. The Lexus LF-ZC was supposed to spearhead this campaign, showing off Toyota’s new gigacasting and automated production. It was sorta a whole thing, plus it looked pretty neat.<\/p>\n The concept was revealed at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, named after the Lexus Future-Zero emission Catalyst. It was light, low-slung, aerodynamic, and full of aggressive edges that made it look almost dangerous. It showed us what EVs\u00a0could<\/em> look like if we stopped making them featureless, smooth, and lifeless<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wrote Lexus: “The battery\u2019s low profile adds intrigue to the silhouette and secures a low center of gravity for improved driving dynamics.”<\/p>\n Unfortunately, we are going to be left with our current collection of boring EVs as Toyota pulls back from its plans. On May 31st, a spokesperson said that Toyota was “taking into account fluctuations in market demand.” It’s no secret that multiple markets are backing away from EVs.<\/p>\n Japan is one of those markets. The country has many automakers backing away from previously aggressive EV plans. This includes Honda, Mazda, and Subaru, all of which have canceled or postponed various EVs. This echoes what’s going on in the United States, where General Motors, Ford, and others have cut back on EV plans<\/a> and pivoted (despite the astonishing costs) due to a lack of interest.<\/p>\n Toyota is not completely abandoning EVs. It’s just not willing to take risks on cool ones, so I’m back to poo-pooing the brand’s boring EV crap. The Lexus TZ three-row crossover launched in the United States, a safe move since it uses the same platform as other vehicles in its lineup. It will be profitable upon its launch, Toyota announced when it debuted earlier this month.<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided to cancel the LF-ZC development project as part of a company-wide review of vehicle development projects,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cThe cancellation of this specific development project does not mean we have given up on developing next-generation BEVs.\u201d<\/p>\n CEO Kenta Kon wants to simplify Toyota’s lineup, and it seems this could mean sticking with safe bets. Creating the next generation of current models is far less risky and much more cost-effective than the LF-ZC.<\/p>\n It’s not a surprising move. Toyota is always very cautious. It was late to the EV initiative due to the carmaker’s slow-moving pace, which required testing everything meticulously before implementing new features. Adding a brand new car is a big risk. Sticking to its current EVs seems to be the way to go for Toyota. At least it’s not abandoning EVs entirely.<\/p>\n But I felt Toyota could have given us something safe, reliable, and cool to commute in. Sorta like the new Corolla<\/a>. Back to hating EVs, I guess.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Toyota is abandoning its previously aggressive EV plans, and I’m actually sorta bummed. I know I come off as a … <\/p>\nWhat happened to the Lexus LF-ZC?<\/h2>\n