- It’s unknown if the Toyota C-HR+ electric crossover will come to North America
- It leads the charge of six new EVs for Toyota, including the Urban Cruiser in Europe
- Toyota also showcased updates to the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ electric crossovers
Toyota is responding to calls for EVs with six full battery electric vehicles launching by the end of 2026, in European markets, anyway.
At a brand overview in Brussels, Belgium, last week, Toyota dropped the sheath on the spearhead of that EV assault, the new C-HR+ small crossover.
The C-HR+ arrives as a fully electric version that shares only a name with the gas-powered C-HR sold as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid, and whose popularity in Europe helped fuel more than one million units globally in the two generations since it launched in 2016. With its curved roofline and tucked hatch, it looks more like a Lexus, yet it shares much under the smooth skin with the refreshed Toyota bZ4X.
The updated bZ4X and related Lexus RZ models were also shown, as was the Urban Cruiser small crossover that moves from concept to reality and slots into the B-segment (subcompact) in Europe. A silhouette of the three unannounced forthcoming EVs included a pickup truck, presumed to be an Hilux EV, which is sold as the midsize Tacoma in the States; a larger crossover, quite possibly the Land Cruiser EV that has been showcased in concept form since 2023; and a smaller crossover that may have been previewed by the Sport Crossover Concept in 2023. Any of the three could be the vessel for Toyota’s much-anticipated solid-state battery EV due in 2027.
Toyota Urban Cruiser
Once criticized for its slow, exploratory approach to launching electric vehicles, especially in North America, the world’s largest automaker continues its multi-pathway approach to electrification with hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and even fuel-cell vehicles as it aims for carbon neutrality in Europe by 2035. The newest EVs are a core part of that strategy. Underpinning its EV strategy is a guarantee that the battery will retain at least 70% of capacity in the first decade of the EV’s life, and the warranty covers eight years or nearly 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers), while the high-voltage battery is covered for 10 years or 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers).
Expect more info later this spring on what parts of this product launch will come to North America, but here’s what we know about the models launching in Europe this year that may migrate this way eventually.
2025 Toyota C-HR+
Toyota C-HR+ electric crossover
The C-segment entry builds off of the refreshed Toyota bZ4X but ditches the overly styled black gloss plastic panels for a sleeker, smoother, more sophisticated take that looks more like a Lexus. It embraces the curved coupe-like roofline that’s popular in Europe but limited in practicality, trimming rear cargo space to about 14.7 cubic feet. Like the gas model, the rear door handles hide in the window frames, not on the smooth door sides.
Even though it shares a name with the C-HR that’s sold as a hybrid and plug-in hybrid in Europe, it’s built off the e-TNGA platform shared with the bZ4X. It measures about 178 inches long, which is about six inches shorter than the bZ4X.
The interior could be identical to the new bZ4X’s, with a standard 14.0-inch touchscreen mounted on the dash and with an interface and infotainment system developed in North America. The small-diameter steering wheel bursts with control buttons, yet the steering column is not connected to the recessed instrument cluster that sits nearly at the base of the windshield. Larger iconography and brighter displays promise better visibility.
Outward vision remained a priority, so both screens sit under the cowl, leaving the driver’s line of sight unimpeded.
The C-HR+ goes on sale with either a 57.7-kwh or 77-kwh battery pack, and a choice of single-motor front-wheel drive rated at about 164 hp or dual-motor all-wheel drive rated at about 338 hp. Toyota says the motors in this second-gen BEV system are designed for more direct power delivery, prompting Yoshihiro Nakata, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, to crow that it’s the, “Most emotional, dynamic crossover we have ever brought to the European market.”
Expect a 0-62 mph of 5.2 seconds, and a range of 373 miles on the generous European WLPT cycle. A 22-kw onboard charger will be optional, and battery pre-conditioning promises quicker DC fast-charge times.
It goes on sale in select European markets late in 2025, with a full rollout in 2026. Even though the gas model was discontinued in the U.S. in 2022, the C-HR+ is expected to launch in North America in 2026 as either a 2026 or 2027 model year.
2026 Toyota bZ4X
2026 Toyota bZ4X
2025 Toyota C-HR+
2025 Toyota C-HR+
Refreshed Toyota bZ4X casts a wider net
The midsize crossover gets modest upgrades for the 2026 model year. A smaller 57.7-kwh battery pack will be offered alongside a 73.1-kwh (gross capacity) pack that has slightly more capacity than the 71.4-kwh pack currently sold in Europe and in single-motor versions in North America.
The new 57.7-kwh pack comes with front-wheel drive only and a single motor rated at 164 hp. Models with the 73.1-kwh pack come with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive, but the motors now use silicon-carbide semiconductors that boost power output to 221 hp from 201 hp in the single front motor or 338 hp from 214 hp for the dual-motor versions. Suspension tweaks promise to lower noise and vibration levels. Dual-motor models can now tow up to 3,300 pounds, which doubles that of current models.
The bZ4X has an available 22-kw onboard charger to cut Level 2 charge times significantly, and battery pre-conditioning comes standard and should quicken the pace of DC fast-charging in cold weather.
Slight tweaks to the exterior improve aerodynamics, but a bigger change arrives inside in the form of a standard 14.0-inch touchscreen.
2026 Lexus RZ F Sport
2026 Lexus RZ
2026 Lexus RZ
2026 Lexus RZ
New Lexus RZ F-Sport and its 8-speed “manual”
The related Lexus RZ gets more significant upgrades than the bZ4X. Every RZ now comes with water cooling and a 77-kwh lithium-ion battery pack instead of the current 71.4-kwh pack. A larger 221-hp front motor (from 201-hp) with more efficiency in the inverter, as well as a larger available rear motor (up to 221 hp, from 107 hp) provide greater acceleration and more evenly balanced torque distribution.
The RZ 350e comes with a 221-hp single motor and front wheel drive; the RZ 500e has dual motors and all-wheel drive with an output of 375 hp; then there’s the 402-hp dual-motor RZ 550e F Sport.
Available on mid-grade models and higher, a new steer-by-wire system promises more direct responses and less vibration through the steering yoke. It lacks a mechanical connection to the front axle and turns up to 200 degrees before locking. Exclusive to the F Sport is an “Interactive Manual Drive” with paddle shifters to fake shifts. Engine sounds with a rev limiter and visual cues indicate when a driver should “shift,” and there’s a meter in the recessed instrument cluster that to gauge the shifts of a fake 8-speed automatic.
All-wheel-drive versions can now tow twice as much as before at 3,300 pounds.
Charging times quicken on the road or at home due to an available 22-kw AC onboard charger instead of the standard 6.6-kw charger. Battery pre-conditioning promises to boost DC fast-charging in cold weather.
All three models launch later this year in select European markets, with full European rollout early in 2026.
Toyota paid for airfare and lodging for Motor Authority to attend its product showcase.
