Toyota has taken the wraps off two battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at the Shanghai Auto Show this week. Due to hit showrooms in 2020, both the C-HR and IZOA are aimed at the Chinese market and will be the first BEVs to launch in China under the Toyota brand.
The debut of the battery electric C-HR and IZOA marks the beginning of Toyota's plans for fully electric vehicles in China and globally. During the "first half of the 2020s," Toyota will look to further popularize electrified vehicles, targeting EV sales of 5.5 million units by 2030. By comparison, the company has sold about 13 million Prius hybrids since the model's launch in 1997.
The two production models will join other electrified vehicles that are debuting for the Chinese market or slated to be offered soon, including the hybrid-electrics RAV4, the Corolla plug-in hybird, and Alphard/Vellfire hybrid, which have been available elsewhere for some time. Toyota has also been conducting demonstration tests with the hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai in China and is "considering the local introduction of other fuel cell vehicles such as the FC Coaster," says Toyota Executive Vice President Moritaka Yoshida.
Also on display is Toyota's new Rhombus concept, a battery-electric four-seater with a unique passenger layout that was developed at Toyota's new China-based Toyota Manufacturing and Engineering, China (TMEC) R&D division.
Toyota has also been fielding a new mobility concept revealed in November 2018 at the China International Import Expo. The mobility solution will be tested at the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Knowledge gained from those tests will inform further ideas for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Source: Toyota
