Toyota electric cars: Australia could get even more EVs under new president

“[Koji Sato] may very well decide that we need to accelerate some other models, right? This is not beyond possibility.”

That's Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia's head of sales and marketing, offering a glimmer of hope for buyers looking to the big T for a consistent stream of new electric models in its local range.

Speaking with Wheels this week, Hanley spoke of what we can expect from Toyota over the coming year, and what effect the carmaker's new president might have on electrification when he steps in on April 1.

“There are two other electric models coming, but I can't really talk more about the product specifically – except to say we've pretty publicly said that's happening."

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While Hanley is open to more than three BEVs in Toyota Australia’s line-up before 2030, he’s also focused on the smooth roll-out of BZ4x.

“We're setting our dealer infrastructure up for the future, and I think the fact that our dealers are investing in this infrastructure is a great signal to the market that we are actually serious about getting our carbon footprint reduced."

But even with an extra EV, Toyota Australia isn’t anticipating a total sales overhaul, unlike premium marque Volvo. Instead, volumes are predicted to be modest initially.

“The volumes will be quite small to start with in relative terms – I mean we're selling over 200,000 cars each year, so the volumes of BEVs will be quite small to start with – [Toyota is] investing now for the future after 2030 and I think the fact that we have a partnership with our dealers to put this infrastructure in is a clear demonstration to the market that we're gonna have more than one BEV in the future,” said Hanley.

“What other brands right now are going to have all of their dealers with charging infrastructure by the end of December?” said a confident Hanley.

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What other Toyota EVs are coming to Oz?

For Australia, where the RAV4 is Toyota’s second best-selling vehicle (following HiLux), the BZ4x is a smart first-play.

But what’s next? Toyota isn't saying, obviously, but here are some options.

The BZ Sedan concept previews what’s expected to be called the BZ3, expected to be a Camry-sized, it’ll launch in China first, with Europe and Australia potentially following.

Next up will be a production version of the BZ Compact SUV – we'd wager it’ll wear BZ2x or BZ3x badging. These are the two most complete of the 30 concepts shown off by Toyota/Lexus in December 2021, but a host of other possibilities could follow.

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That leaves the BZ large SUV (pictured above), slated to be a three-row EV of similar size to the Kluger. That’s the sort of vehicle that could resonate here, as would the electric BZ ute concept.

There were also some enthusiast-focused vehicles such as the Urban Cruiser (not a great name) and a sports car concept that could preview an MR2 revival under the GR performance brand.

A plethora of options, then – but for now, the 'BZ large SUV' remains the most sensible for Toyota’s Australian arm.