Despite selling far more hybrid vehicles than any other manufacturer in America, Toyota still doesn’t offer a battery electric car on these shores. That will change this spring. The Japanese automaker has previewed its upcoming X Prologue electric SUV, with promises of a full unveiling next week.
Toyota so far has bet its future on hybrids. Hybrids outsell electric vehicles in the U.S. by a large margin, but that may change as soon as this year, with more than 100 models of EV headed to American dealerships in 2021.
The teaser image shown today doesn’t give much to go on. It shows a C-shaped LED running light circling around a deep crease in the bodywork, which could be part of nearly any vehicle. But Toyota sources say the X Prologue will be a compact sport utility using Toyota’s new E-TNGA platform. This approach fits all of the mechanical parts and battery packs in a flat, skateboard configuration underneath the cabin. The platform is from joining development with Subaru. This means Americans may ultimately see many vehicles that use it offered for sale.
The small glimpse we can see doesn’t look like anything in the current Toyota lineup. The brand’s designs today employ huge grilles. EVs, not using air for a combustion reaction like traditional gasoline-powered cars, have no need for grilles.
The X prologue will sell in Europe and Japan first, but we expect it to appear in the United States, perhaps as a 2023 model. We’ll bring more information in a week, when Toyota plans to reveal the rest of the car.
