CONFIRMED: Toyota’s Slapping a Familiar Name on a New Electric SUV
A final teaser confirms that there can be only one. You know, metaphorically.
“Something new is on the horizon,” is all Toyota said alongside the first teaser image of a vehicle it plans to debut in the near future. (You can see that image toward the bottom.) When would we see it? “Soon,” is all we were told by a company spokesperson.
Then, a second image was released, this time of the interior, along with a statement that confirmed timing: “Big energy. Bigger versatility. A new adventure starts February 10th.”
Now, Toyota has posted a video to Instagram confirming that its big reveal of a 3-row electric SUV will have a familiar name: Highlander.
We knew what type of vehicle to expect, as the second image showed a three-row SUV cabin; we lightened the original so you can see more detail. The screens appeared to show a dual-motor electric powertrain on the left of the gauge cluster as well as a 199-mile range figure on the central screen above what appears to be a battery icon and a percentage that may or may not read in the low 80 percents.
This suggested—and was confirmed in the badge reveal—that there will be at least one all-wheel-drive version of the new Highlander, and it may have approximately 240 miles of range. We wouldn’t exactly call that “big energy” as Toyota does—Volvo just unveiled a mid-size electric SUV with as much as 400 miles of range—but it should get the job done day-to-day.
Up front, the electric Highlander’s two-tone steering wheel sits in front of that digital cluster, while the central infotainment screen sits atop the dash in a portrait orientation. Below that is what appears to be a row of physical toggles or buttons which are themselves above two air vents.
There’s not a lot else to glean from the image other than the Highlander seems to offer three-zone climate control and ambient lighting, and likely will have a six-passenger configuration with captain’s chairs. It’s difficult to tell whether the third row seats two or three, but we’re assuming it’s two and that a middle-row bench will be available to Highlander buyers in order to expand capacity to seven occupants.
We also learned from our sources that the vehicle would be a new version of an established nameplate, which eliminated the RAV4, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Grand Highlander, and Sequoia, as these SUVs have all been recently updated or redesigned. We also counted out the bZ and CH-R, as those EVs have seen recent updates, too.
