Is this the Toyota Highlander EV? Toyota took to social media this morning to share a teaser pic of something with some clear SUV/truck proportions and a full-width rear lighting signature. With little more to go on besides unofficial reports and some (admittedly high-quality) rumors, we’re inclined to say this is probably an all-electric variant of Toyota’s big family crossover.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “A Toyota EV? In this economy political climate?” But despite its hybrid-first philosophy, the Japanese automaker hasn’t completely sidelined its EV development programs. We’ve known that Toyota has been working an all-electric Highlander for a couple of years, but the exact timeline for production has remained up in the air.
Obviously, the world has changed a lot in the past few years. At one point, Toyota was slated to build two distinct electric SUVs in the U.S. (a two-row and a three-row). Originally, at least one of them was expected to go into production in in 2025. According to a later report, the two-row would have been built in Indiana and the three-row in Kentucky, but Toyota has since shifted things around to accommodate demand for the existing gas-powered Grand Highlander. When Automotive News confirmed those production updates with Toyota, the publication also noted that production of the new EV model was expected to being some time in 2026.
That brings us back to today’s teaser. There’s vanishingly little to see here, but enough to support the notion that this is the delayed electric Highlander. The low angle of the photo gives it some truck vibes, but the full-width LED stripe makes far more sense as a divider between the rear glass and sheet metal on a tailgate than it does for the upper lip of a truck bed. Sorry, folks; if you were hoping for a Maverick competitor, this probably ain’t it.
Toyota didn’t offer any hints as to when we might see a full reveal of whatever this is teasing, but we doubt we’ll have to wait long. Stay tuned.
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