Something New Coming From Toyota

Toyota has just dropped a teaser image for a new vehicle it’s going to be revealing soon. They haven’t given us any information at all on exactly what it is, but we can make an educated guess based on what little we can see and the cadence of Toyota’s product lineup.

First off, the rear view that we have based on the red taillights has a pretty squared off roofline and wide hips which implies that this isn’t a car, but is an SUV/crossover of some sort. The spacing of the headrest shadows in the window implies that this is a larger vehicle. Since we’ve already got the new Rav4 and the 4Runner, Grand Highlander and Sequioa have all been released in the last three years, it’s probably not any of them. The current generation Highlander is now in is seventh year on sale and with a reveal pending, this new model probably won’t arrive until late this year. That means it’s most likely a next-generation Highlander.

Assuming this is a new Highlander, what’s powering it? If we follow Toyota’s recent pattern, a standard hybrid would be an obvious choice, just like the Sienna, Rav4 and Camry. But, back in early 2024, Toyota announced a $1.3 billion investment in its Georgetown, Kentucky plant to build a new 3-row electric SUV. While Toyota hasn’t made that late 2025 launch they originally talked about, all indications are that program is still moving forward. In December 2021, Akio Toyoda showed off 15 concept vehicles for Toyota and Lexus and a number of those have already been translated into production models including bZ4X, the bZ SDN (the bZ3X for China only), and bZ Compact SUV (the new C-HR). There was also the Lexus Electrified Sport which has evolved into the closer to production LFA concept that is expected to be produced in 2027. The Pickup EV concept became the new Tacoma.

The concept lineup also included the bZ Large SUV and Lexus Electrified SUV. This teaser is only for the Toyota with the Lexus likely to be introduced in the coming months. But given how many of the other concepts have been largely translated into production models, and the slim wraparound taillights visibile in this image and the concept, it seems likely that whatever is being teased here will look something like the bZ Large. Could it be called the bZ Highlander?

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