According to foreign media reports, Toyota Motor said on March 12 that, including its high-end brand Lexus, the company will launch a total of 9 pure electric vehicles in the European market in 2025 and 2026 to gain a place in the huge European electric vehicle market.
The Japanese automaker said it will launch three Toyota-branded electric SUVs this year, including the new bZ4X, Urban Cruiser and C-HR+, and will launch three more in 2026. Among them, the compact pure electric SUV C-HR+ was released in Europe on March 12 and is expected to be launched in some European countries in the second half of this year.
The company will also launch three Lexus-branded electric vehicles in Europe over the next 12 months, with the first being the new RZ SUV.
As the world’s largest sales car manufacturer, Toyota’s development strategy in the electric vehicle field is more cautious than other traditional car competitors. The company’s reliance on hybrid vehicles reflects its strategic prudence, which is particularly evident in markets such as the United States where electric vehicles are becoming more popular.
Toyota’s cautious strategy has benefited a lot from the past year as global demand for electric vehicles slowed down. Meanwhile, the company has met strong demand for hybrid models by continuing to expand its lineup of hybrid models, which is the case in its largest market in the United States.
Toyota said in a statement that its “multi-path strategy” to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is based on providing customers in different regions with different options that are best suited to them, such as South America where electric vehicle sales are still low, focusing on developing hybrid vehicles.
“Providing more options and opportunities is at the heart of building a better car and at the heart of everything we do,” Toyota Chief Brand Officer Simon Humphries said in a statement.
European pure electric vehicle sales fell by 1.3% in 2024, but European pure electric vehicle sales jumped 37.3% in January this year, accounting for nearly 17% of the market share. In 2024, Toyota’s total sales in Europe increased by 13.1%, slightly above 1 million vehicles, while the overall European automobile market grew by 0.9%.