JAPAN NEWS



 

Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to halt development on its next-generation electric vehicle, likely due to global slowdown in EV demand, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The EV had been scheduled for release in mid-2027.

Despite the halt, the company will continue to develop cutting-edge technologies for next-generation EVs, such as all-solid-state batteries and “gigacast,” a technology for integrally molding aluminum parts.

The halted model, the “LF-ZC,” comes from the luxury brand “Lexus.” A prototype was unveiled in October 2023. While the typical range of EVs on a single charge at the time of the unveiling had been around 500 kilometers, the LF-ZC aimed for around double that.

Initially scheduled for release in 2026, the company announced in 2024 that it would postpone the start of production until mid-2027.

The LF-ZC was scheduled to be produced at the company’s Tahara Plant in Aichi Prefecture. The automaker is believed to be moving ahead with developing the other technologies with the aim of utilizing them when EV demand has increased.

Facing headwinds in the EV market, major automakers both in Japan and abroad have been revising their strategies.

Honda Motor Co., for instance, decided to halt development of three EV models that were scheduled to be launched in the United States from 2026.

Nissan Motor Co., meanwhile, announced that it would halt production on a new EV model that had been planned for its U.S. plant.

In the United States, where the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has abolished tax incentives for EVs, General Motors Co. recorded a $6 billion extraordinary loss mainly due to the suspension of its EV development.

Ford Motor Co. also scaled back its EV-related operations and signaled its intention to focus on hybrid vehicles and other models.