Automotive News South Africa

Toyota announces a new electric SUV

Toyota has announced that it will preview a new mid-size battery-electric SUV in coming months. The name of this forthcoming new battery-electric SUV from Toyota has yet to be made public but the Japanese automotive giant has divulged that it will be developed for Europe and that it will be built on the brand's new e-TNGA platform.
Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash
Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Toyota says that the new e-TNGA platform is highly versatile and easily adaptable for a range of different product types. The platform architecture features key fixed elements but other elements can vary to allow for different vehicle length, width, height and wheelbase.

The platform accommodates front, rear and all-wheel-drive layouts with various battery and electric motor requirements for a range of vehicle types which will afford Toyota the flexibility to produce individual models alongside each other while also reducing production time and cost.

The first e-TNGA model has already been developed with its production due to take place soon at Toyota’s ZEV Factory in Japan.

Toyota's new battery-electric SUV is destined to go on sale in Europe with production expected to start in the coming months.

Koji Toyoshima, deputy chief officer, ZEV Factory, Toyota Motor Corporation, says: “Toyota will shortly take the next step in the rollout of its forthcoming battery-electric portfolio by first previewing an all-new mid-sized SUV in the coming months. The versatility and flexibility of e-TNGA technology allow us to design and create vehicles that are not just battery-electric, but also exciting to drive and beautiful to look at.”

On the subject of new SUVs, we have been speculating for a while now that Toyota SA is preparing to produce a new model at its production facility in Prospecton, Durban, and since this is where the hugely popular Corolla Quest sedan is produced, we are quietly hopeful that Toyota will announce the local production of the Corolla Cross compact SUV in the new year, which is also expected to feature a hybrid powertrain. Let’s wait and see.

This article was originally published on Cars.co.za.

Source: Cars.co.za

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