The company wants to make its EVs more profitable in order to bridge the gap with Tesla.
The platform used by the bZ4X could be replaced by a dedicated EV platform.
This means future electric models could have to wait until 2026.
Toyota is late in terms of the electrification of its lineup, but it seems the company is now decided to catch up to key players such as Tesla with new technologies and more efficient powertrains.
According to a new report, some of the measures that could be taken by Toyota include the replacement of the e-TNGA platform with a new one developed especially for electric vehicles.
This is surprising since this platform is the one used by the bZ4X, its first and only modern electric vehicle to date. The problem with it is that it was conceived to accommodate both electric and gasoline powertrains in order to make it easier for the automaker to build EVs on the same production line as other models.
Sharing a platform between EVs and ICE cars has some disadvantages, however, since it makes for less efficient electric vehicles, both in terms of energy consumption and space utilization.
This is why the bZ4X is not particularly impressive in terms of range, despite being one of the least powerful models in its category.
To fix these issues, Toyota is looking at developing an entirely new platform that will be engineered for electric powertrains only.
Obviously, doing so will take some time and it is possible that any future electric Toyota or Lexus models will be delayed until at least 2026.
This would put Toyota at a marked disadvantage against most other automakers, which are planning to introduce a number of electric models until then, but not necessarily against its Japanese competition.
Indeed, Subaru is working with Toyota on its EVs, meaning that future Subaru EVs are also likely to be delayed, Mazda has only one EV planned by 2025, and Honda will have to wait until 2026-2027 to have a full lineup of EVs.
With this new strategy, Toyota also hopes to reduce its EV production costs in order to better compete with Tesla, since the American company currently makes about 8 times more profit per car than Toyota.
Source: Carscoops
