Toyota Motor Corporation revealed plans to develop a second battery electric vehicle (BEV) in partnership with local automaker Subaru Corporation, for sale in the North American and Japanese markets from 2026, according to reports.
Toyota is keen to work closely with Subaru, in which it owns a 20% stake, to tap into its development and production capabilities, as it looks to catch up with other global automakers in the transition to BEVs.
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The bZ4X, sold in North America as the BZ, is Toyota’s first BEV model to have been developed in collaboration with Subaru. It is sold by Subaru as the Solterra model. Subaru had previously developed its BRZ model, powered by a 2.4L petrol engine, in collaboration with Toyota – which went on sale in the US in 2021.
Separate reports suggest that Toyota is considering producing a new entry-level pickup truck in the US, possibly based on its Thai-made Hilux truck, to be sold alongside the existing mid-size Tacoma and full-size Tundra models.
Following the introduction of new import tariffs in the US, Japanese automakers have been strengthening their collaboration to increase US production. Nissan Motor recently announced a number of shared models initiatives with Mitsubishi Motors to boost its US production.
