Toyota Teases "Beyond Zero" EV Family

Toyota has come under fire for not focusing on battery-powered electric cars. The Japanese automaker has come out multiple times to say that it believes hybrids and plug-in hybrids are a better fit for the current market, but that doesn't mean it's not working on electric cars at all. In a way to flex its electrification capability, Toyota just revealed 12 new electric cars to show the world that it’s serious about EVs. While some of the electric vehicles look pretty far out there, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda stated that the vehicles are previews of what’s to come from the brand in the near future.

Beyond releasing a photo of the upcoming electric cars, Toyota hasn’t provided a lot of information on the vehicles. So, we’re left with our imagination to wonder how and where these would fit into the brand’s lineup.

Four of the electric cars that Toyota previewed will belong to the “Beyond Zero” or BZ sub-brand. The vehicles include a sedan, small crossover, compact SUV, and large SUV. In Toyota’s photos, the sedan is the pinkish car and looks similar in size and style to the Prius Prime. The red little hatchback-like SUV is what we assume is the compact SUV. It’s tiny, smaller than the sedan even. Toyota claims this SUV will come with a small battery pack and is being designed with Europe and Japan in mind. The large SUV has a look that’s inspired by the BZ4X, but a boxier roofline. The small crossover looks to follow modern sporty SUVs with a coupe-like design.

In addition to introducing more vehicles under the BZ sub-brand, Toyota will also come out with electric cars to fit under a new “Lifestyle” lineup. The other eight vehicles the automaker previewed will belong to this lineup. The two commercial vehicles are called the Mid Box and Micro Box. These vehicles are green in Toyota’s pictures and look like they could be used for delivery purposes. The white box on wheels is called the E-Palette and was the autonomous shuttle used at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The other four vehicles are far more exciting. There’s the Pickup EV that looks similar to a modern-day Tacoma with TRD wheels, off-roading tires, black fenders, and a black roof. The other off-roading inspired vehicle is a small, blue SUV that resembles the FJ Cruiser. It’s called the Compact Cruiser EV concept, which gives us hope that Toyota is preparing a rival to the Jeep Wrangler. There’s a funky-looking vehicle called the Crossover EV. It’s bright red and has some unique lighting to be an aggressive SUV.

Lastly, there’s a bright yellow sports car that doesn’t have a name. With massive vents in the side, it looks like it could have mid-engine proportions. Rumors have been circling about the potential for Toyota to bring back the MR2, so this could be the brand’s way of doing so.

There’s a lot to take in here and we don’t think that Toyota will come out with a production version of every car it showcased, but it is using this as a way of proving that it’s working on electric cars and has in the pipeline. Toyota does have some large electrification goals that include having 30 battery-powered electric cars across the Toyota and Lexus brand by 2030.

See Toyota's Current Lineup

Pictured: Toyota EV Concepts, Lexus EV Concepts