And if there’s surplus in production, the company believes exports could be the solution
- Toyota and Lexus’ EV lineup in North America is set to expand over the next two years.
- The automaker plans to offer seven new EVs in the US, including two locally built models.
- Surplus EV production from American factories will be exported to growing global markets.
Toyota may be riding high with its hybrid-heavy lineup and ambitious plans to have 20% of US sales come from plug-in hybrids by 2030, but the company isn’t stopping there. It also has big plans to expand its electric vehicle offerings in the US. By mid-2027, Toyota and Lexus will introduce no fewer than seven new EVs across North America, including a range of models that could give it the edge against the competition.
More: Toyota And Lexus Will Launch 15 EVs By 2027 And That’s Just The Start
First, Toyota is adding a few more electric options to its own lineup. Expect the facelifted bZ4X crossover (now named the bZ), the bZ Woodland, the C-HR, and an upcoming three-row SUV. On the Lexus side, the RZ crossover will be joined by an electric version of the new-generation ES sedan introduced last month and a larger SUV to boot.
US-Made Electric SUVs Are Coming
While many of these models will be imported, the big news is that the upcoming three-row SUVs, one from Toyota and one from Lexus, will be manufactured right here in the United States. After a brief delay, production will start in 2026 at two factories in Georgetown, Kentucky, and Princeton, Indiana. These new electric SUVs will go head-to-head with the likes of the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, which are also targeting the growing demand for larger electric vehicles.
Toyota isn’t diving into the EV market without a plan. According to Bloomberg, the company typically adds a new model to a factory only when it’s confident it can move 100,000-150,000 units annually. While US EV adoption is expected to grow at a slower rate than anticipated, Toyota has a strategy to keep production moving. Any excess EV output from its US factories will be sent to overseas markets where demand is ramping up faster.
Cooper Ericksen, Senior Vice President, Product, BEV and Mobility Planning and Strategy at Toyota Motor North America, explained: “We’ll sell a little bit more every year and grow with the market. But we have to think about how many Canada will use, how many the US will use, and we can then export to other global destinations.” Of course, the company hopes that its export plans won’t be affected by a potential escalation of the tariff war.
A Long-Term Commitment
Currently, electric vehicles account for just 8% of automotive sales in the US, but Toyota expects that number to double by 2030. Ericksen pointed out, “BEVs right now aren’t incremental volume for us. They’re cannibalizing our volume. But in the future, we think it’s a really important segment that we don’t want to give up to the competition.”
More: Toyota’s C-HR Returns To America But It’s Nothing Like You Remember
On the production side, Toyota is setting up a lithium-ion battery plant in North Carolina, which will power its US-made EVs and hybrids. Once fully operational, the plant will have a production capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours, enough to power 800,000 hybrids, 150,000 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and 300,000 battery electric vehicles annually.
Toyota has pledged to offer an electrified option across all of its models this year. Right now, about 80% of Toyota and Lexus models in the US are available with either hybrid or EV options. With these moves, Toyota is aiming to cement its position in the growing EV market, even if the journey to widespread adoption is a gradual one.
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