Positioned as a rival to the likes of the Jeep Avenger and Mini Aceman, it arrives as the Japanese firm accelerates the expansion of its electric car line-up in the run-up to 2026.
That’s when Toyota will begin to roll out an all-new family of cars based on the modular architecture it revealed in October, with next-generation batteries that dramatically boost range and efficiency.
Toyota product development boss Andrea Carlucci said this boldly styled B-segment SUV concept “gives a strong indication of what will be a strong contributor to Toyota’s European EV sales in the coming years”.
The company will reveal full specifications in the first half of 2024, when the production-ready version, which remains unnamed, is unveiled.
For now, Toyota has only confirmed its dimensions: 4300mm long, 1820mm wide and 1620mm high.
It bears a striking resemblance to Suzuki’s recently revealed eVX concept, with which Toyota has a strategic partnership and collaborates on certain models, but Toyota bosses would not be drawn on the extent of the relationship between the two cars.
Notably, Suzuki already sells its own versions of Toyota’s RAV4 and Corolla, as part of a partnership that sees the compatriots collaborate on the development of electrified vehicles.
The urban crossover is said to be based on a dedicated platform related to the e-TNGA platform that underpins the bZ4X SUV.
It will serve as an electric alternative to the current Yaris Cross hybrid – and in that role will be the smallest electric car in the Toyota line-up, “at least for a while”.
However, it won’t be priced to match that car, with Carlucci suggesting that “there is a premium” attached to electric cars, making a price of around £25,000 unfeasible in the medium term, as there needs to be a “significant shift” in the cost of battery materials to bring down the cost to the customer.
However, he acknowledged that the Volvo EX30, for example, would be a natural rival and that “Toyota is not divorced from market reality”, suggesting that a price of around £32,000 would not be unrealistic.
Striking a balance between affordability and usability, it will be offered with a choice of two battery options, the largest of which is expected to offer a range of around 250 miles, in line with the car’s city driving bill.
It will also be offered with a choice of front- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, the latter of which Carlucci said would be a rare offering “at the lower end of the market”, although no further details of its specification were given.
Carlucci stressed that the urban SUV segment is now the most popular in Europe. “We’ve had great success with [the] Yaris Cross,” he added, “and we don’t intend to leave any room for the competition.”
The urban crossover, compact crossover and sport crossover concept trio, together with the bZ4X, make up four of the six EVs Toyota plans to launch by 2026.
Details of the remaining two are unconfirmed, but it is thought they will be SUVs in the vein of the RAV4 and seven-seat Highlander respectively.
