Toyota reveals ambitious electrification plans

Toyota says it will launch at least 10 new pure-electric vehicles from 2020 onwards, in a bid to sell 5.5 million electrified vehicles by 2025.

Originally, Toyota said come 2030 half of its global sales would be electrified vehicles, running either a pure-electric or hybrid powertrain, but now the Japanese car-maker has brought forward that estimate to five years earlier in 2025.

That's because Toyota says buyers' sudden appetite for low- or zero-emission vehicles has already increased.

Breaking down that 5.5 million number. In 2025, the world's second largest car-maker says a million will be pure-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered with the remaining 4.5 million hybrids.

As well as the revelation over the number of electrified vehicles, Toyota also announced it will introduce its next-generation solid-state batteries in a new vehicle some time in Q3 of 2020.

The solid-state battery-powered car will be unveiled at an event ahead of the Japanese Olympic games.

Toyota has been slow to introduce electric cars but says from next year will introduce a pure-electric version of its C-HR for the Chinese market, followed shortly after by a two-seat city car in Japan that will have a 60km/h top speed and a range of 100km.

More Kei-car-style electric cars and scooters, but Toyota has also confirmed it will introduce at least six variants of a global model that includes the first fruits of recently announced collaborations with both Subaru and Suzuki that will be based on an electric version of the TNGA platform.

These include a compact SUV, currently being developed with Suzuki and a larger SUV from the Subaru collaboration.

Toyota will also offer its own mid-size SUV, a larger SUV, sedan and minivan that could also be developed with its partners.

To illustrate some of the vehicles that are coming Toyota has released an image that's said to show real clay models of some of the cars it plans to introduce.

Like the car-maker's current internal combustion TNGA platform, the e-TNGA has been designed to create front, rear or all-wheel drive with room for packaging electric motors on the front or rear axles.

The battery cells, meanwhile, are packaged between the axles beneath the floor.

As well as unveiling its plans, Toyota also issued a warning that all its plans could be disrupted by a lack of battery supply. To help alleviate those concerns, Toyota says it has recently entered a new supply deal with Chinese company CATL.