Toyota Shows Electric Pickup and Land Cruiser Concepts
The 2023 Japan Mobility Show (formerly known as Tokyo Motor Show) kicks off later this week and Toyota has a couple of surprising EV concepts in store including a pickup truck and a rugged off-roader.
Let’s start with the one that is simply called EPU (likely for Electric Pick-up). As a potential rival of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, this small pickup with unibody construction and a four-door crew cab would slot below the Tacoma.
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Toyota says it’s 5,070 mm long, 1,910 mm wide and 1,710 mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,350 mm. However, the length of the cargo bed is unspecified. Same thing for the front trunk’s volume.
As for styling, the EPU concept isn’t some wild design study—it looks like it could enter production next week. The interior is a different story, mind you, with a more futuristic layout. The dashboard retains only a few controls and makes room for open storage areas, while a large digital display stands in front of the yoke-style steering wheel (similar to the one available in the Japanese-market bZ4X).
Back in December 2021, Toyota briefly showed another electric pickup concept that looked more like a Tacoma. What exactly are the company’s plans? We hope to get a clearer picture this week at the Japan Mobility Show, so don’t miss our coverage of the event.
Fully Electric Land Cruiser
Another EV concept to be officially introduced in Tokyo is called Land Cruiser Se. Aesthetically, it’s a complete departure from the all-new, hybrid-only, body-on-frame Land Cruiser that’s set to return to Canada for the 2024 model year. The proportions are similar, sure, but as is often the case with battery-powered models, this one rides on a much longer wheelbase.
Once again, Toyota is mum about the technical stuff. What we can tell you is that the unibody architecture accommodates up to seven passengers across three rows of seats. Toyota lauds the concept’s “high-torque driving performance” and “responsive handling and confidence in tackling rough terrain.”
The Land Cruiser Se appears to be much farther from production, but if you like to play in the mud and climb rocky hills, it’s nice to know that Toyota is considering an EV for just that. Stay tuned.