Toyota is “loading the bases” with a wave of new fully electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles set to launch over the next few months. The long-awaited Toyota Highlander EV is finally about to make its first appearance.
When will Toyota launch the Highlander EV?
Following the RAV4, the Highlander and Grand Highlander are Toyota’s best-selling SUVs in the US. However, with more buyers opting for the larger Grand model, sales of the standard Highlander are suffering.
Given the higher demand, Toyota announced earlier this month that it would consolidate EV production into its Kentucky plant to free up space for the Grand Highlander.
Toyota was expected to begin building a new electric SUV at its Princeton, Indiana, facility, but that will now be made in Kentucky in 2028. In the meantime, the company is adding a new assembly line in Indiana to boost Grand Highlander output.
According to Automotive News, Toyota will build the new EV alongside a larger three-row electric SUV in Kentucky.
The three-row SUV is expected to launch as the Highlander EV with Toyota shifting away from the current “bZ” naming scheme.
With production slated to begin later next year, the Toyota Highlander EV is expected to arrive as a 2027 model year vehicle. The larger electric SUV could even debut by the end of 2025.
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Toyota said in a statement that it “plans to produce two all-new, three-row battery electric SUVs in the US” as previously announced, adding “now assemble both vehicles at Toyota Kentucky.”
The Highlander EV will be one of seven new electric vehicles Toyota plans to launch in the US by mid-2027. Later this year, the new bZ electric SUV (previously known as the bZ4X) will arrive with significant upgrades, including increased driving range and an added NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers.
Next year, Toyota will follow it up with the smaller 2026 Toyota C-HR and bZ Woodland. Both electric SUVs promise drastic improvements from the bZ4X.
Earlier this year, David Christ, VP of Toyota Motor North America, told CNBC during an interview that the automaker’s upcoming lineup of EVs, hybrids, and PHEVs was like having the bases loaded in a baseball game.
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